Allegory of the Cave

Socrates’ “Allegory of The Cave” fascinates me because it describes stages of enlightenment that anyone can be categorized under. No matter what your interests are you always have the choice to accept what you already know or question it in pursuit of a broader understanding. The age old quarrel of “Light versus Darkness” has been a reoccurring theme throughout history. For every new idea, there is always someone to criticize it. Without that critic though, there would never be a need for self-improvement.

As far as myself in the cave, I believe I am slowly but surely taking baby steps into the light. As an adolescent I always questioned why my life was the way it was, and what I can do to make what I want out of it. Looking back though, I was far from out of the cave. I hated how people were so ignorant as to social flaws and authoritative hypocrisy. This somehow led me to try to step out of this machine of thought. I eventually learned that sporting a Mohawk, a studded leather jacket, and Doc Martins combat boots was not thinking freely. I merely had gone from interpreting shadows to taking a glimpse at the fire. Although it was a far stretch from my Christian upbringing, it was not the answer I was looking for.

Over the last couple of years I have been satisfied with knowing what caused the shadows. I’ve recently come to realize that is not enough. My concept of the world I live in has expanded to not only wanting to understand, but learning more about how knowledge of all aspects of this world work in unison with my day to day life. I have returned to school in pursuit for the light outside the cave. Ignorance is bliss, but simply being satisfied with what I already know doesn’t enable me to change anything. Living in the light is the most powerful tool I can have to mold my life into what I want.