A Little Plato for You

In “The Allegory of the Cave” Plato describes a group of people who are so isolated that they see nothing of the outside world. They are chained head and foot facing a cave wall, able to see nothing but shadows produced from artifacts being passed in front of flames from the center of the cave. Any sounds produced are presumed to echo so that, from the perspective of the captives, it seems as though the shadows themselves are producing the sounds. That is their reality.

Imagine one of the captives being led from the cave for the first time. It would likely cause physical pain for the captive to be moved, and, I would add, scare them. The fire in the center of the cave would be so bright, it would hurt him to look at it. Imagine the effect the sun would have when he first stepped outside. How long would his eyes need to adjust before he could even see any of the strange things outside the cave? (Would he even want to open his eyes?) Would those dragging him around understand why he couldn’t see anything, why he couldn’t look? Imagine the influx of sounds. (I can only imagine it may be akin to a hearing-impaired person receiving cochlear implants.) Upon being told that this is the world, this is reality, not the dim, quiet cave, how long would he need to process that?

Having been exposed to, accepting and adjusting to the reality of the world, imagine the former captive returning to the cave. How long would it take his eyes to adjust back to the dimness and see the subtle shadows he once knew?  Perhaps the others would think that seeing the light ruined his eyes. Would they not resist anyone who tried to rescue them? Would they believe anything he had to say about what was outside?

The myth goes on, read it when you have a chance.

I, as I believe we all are, am struggling with truth―finding, recognizing, knowing, telling and sharing it. I’m extremely frustrated―enraged at times―with people in charge and friends and family who deny provable facts and are comfortable with ideas that shut out reality, ignore the future and oppress their fellow man. Plato writes of the captives in the cave, “They are like us.” I need to remember this and check my anger and frustration when I’m confronted with what I consider backwards thinking (e.g. promoting coal power over renewable energy, emulating ancient China by building a wall on our border, repressing women by not giving them free reign of their own bodies, e.g.). I spent a long time in a cave and still hear the echoes of it in my mind. None of us emerged from the womb wise or intelligent. Some were simply born into a better situation that promoted a broad education and wisdom.

The power of story is often stronger than bare facts. If I were with someone in physical pain (as the man in the story when emerging from the cave), would I be impatient with them? What if that pain were long-term? Constant? If they were confused, would I respond with anger? If they were scared, would I mock them? I think we'd all answer a resounding "No!" to all those questions. But, get a group of people who were born thousands of mile away and are scared, confused and in pain near our border and suddenly the written law means more than the needs of humanity. In the story, I think many of us would picture ourselves rescuing the people from the cave and helping them adjust to real life. But in reality, how many of us help even a homeless, unemployed person?

There are many caves in this world in which people are being raised. The cave may be a house or a country. It may be a cave of religion, mental illness, political agenda, personal or family fame, prestige or power, or sheer limitations—whether they be physical or opportunistic. They may have been born in that cave, forced into it or stumbled dumbly into it. Caves, like situations in life, can stretch deep underground for miles; it can take a long time to find your way out if you’re lost-if you even know you're lost. Sometimes caves are spacious enough to stand up in, sometimes you can barely crawl through them. Plato picked a good analogy for our situation in life.

The words to Mercy, Pity, Peace and Love by William Blake come to mind. Stanzas 3 and 5:

For Mercy has a human heart, 
Pity, a human face, 
and Love, the human form divine. 
and Peace, the human dress.

And all must love the human form, 
in heathen, Turk or Jew; 
where Mercy, Love, and Pity dwell, 
there God is dwelling too.