After reading a translation of Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave”, it reminded me of my own curiosities of life and the search for the Ultimate Truth (if there is one). As a human being, I was born as a creature of curiosity. I have always looked at the world that we know as a puzzle and I guess my purpose in life is to figure out “where do I fit within this puzzle?” I’m pretty sure the rest of the world is and has been asking similar questions. After all, religion has been one of the strongest driving forces in human nature. When I was born into this world, I knew close to nothing. My natural instincts drove me to eat, sleep, and play. Looking back, I see my younger self as a piece of clay being molded into fashion as society sees fit. But as I grew, I did begin to learn of my environment. As school years stacked upon me, I began to understand society’s expectations of me. Social protocol called for me to finish grade school, then graduate college, get a well paid job, start a family, and then die (hopefully after I’ve seen my kids grow old). Eventually, I realized that the world that I see only contains parts of the truth. I became conscious that I was an actor playing out a script that I did not write.
In Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave”, the man (or prisoner) steps out of the cave and is shown light. This man eventually realizes some of the truth, but this isn’t the end. One day, the man steps on the moon and realizes that there are stars and galaxies. Another day, the man steps into a lab and splits atoms apart to discover more truths. Man has always been driven by curiosity to take steps towards the truth. Each time man takes a step, he steps into a whole new, stranger world that he doesn’t understand yet. I noticed the irony employed by Plato’s “cave” metaphor. Plato compares the fire in the cave to the sun outside. In my perspective, I believe Plato is saying that the world outside the cave is no different than the world inside the cave and that if the man keeps taking steps, he will eventually end up back where he started, a circle. Plato is saying that the world outside the cave is no more “real” than the world inside the cave. I feel exactly like this “man” from Plato’s “cave” metaphor. The more I learn, the more confused I become. I find that every answer that I get only brings up more questions. As my vision of the world opens wider, I begin to see more and more things. I see things that I don’t understand and the truth becomes more elusive. After learning so much and knowing so little, I come to realize that I might be looking in the wrong direction. Maybe, I shouldn’t be looking for the answers outside. Maybe, this world is an illusion and I should be looking inside myself. Perhaps, if I look deep enough … I might be able to find the Ultimate Truth.
