Chained since birth (like the man born blind in John 9). Plato's allegory is of prisoners chained since birth deep inside a cave. They face a blank wall and can only see shadows cast on it by people, animals and objects (illuminated by a fire they can't see). For these prisoners, the shadows are reality, their only reality; it's all they've ever known, as they have never seen the light.
Release. One day, one person in the cave is released; he encounters the world outside the cave. The brightness is blinding and painful at first. But gradually and with painful difficulty he becomes acquainted with the light, that is, the truth.
Realization. Over time, he begins to realize that the shadows that he thought were real until now are not real and are just dark reflections of the truth.
Return. Realizing the truth, he returns to the cave and explains to the others that the shadows are fake and the real truth is outside. His eyes, now accustomed to sunlight, struggle in the dark; he appears clumsy or blind. The other prisoners ridicule him, think he's gone mad or been harmed by the outside. The people, who have never seen the outside, cannot comprehend what is being said and they protest angrily.
Still chained. People often prefer the familiar prison to painful freedom. Comfort, identity, community, and certainty are tied to the "chains" and shadows. That's why those who tell the truth are suppressed and opposed in society.
Truth is painful. It is disturbing to see the truth in the light and to hear the truth. That's why the mind chooses darkness and bondage. Ignorance is bliss. It takes courage to face the truth and be free. This metaphor is still valid in today's world and order.
Stuck in darkness and blindness. Plato exemplifies the inability of the enlightened--who had begun to understand something in the cave allegory/analogy--to enlighten those in the dark, no matter how elite, brilliant and educated they may be.
No comments:
Post a Comment