We are all imprisoned in a cave. Since birth, we have all been chained to the wall of this cave, fixed so that we cannot turn our heads. We are forced, therefore, to constantly stare at the cave wall before us.
Outside the entrance of the Cave, unbeknown to us, a large fire burns eternally. Between the Cave entrance and this fire is a wall. On the other side of this wall, a constant procession of people walk on by, each carrying various objects, held up higher than the wall.
From inside the Cave, all we can see are the shadows of these objects on the wall we are forced to stare at. We have no knowledge of the Cave’s entrance, the fire, the wall, the procession of people, or the objects they carry. All we know, all we have ever known, are the shadows we see on the wall. The sound of the voices of the people outside are also reflected off the wall, so we all think that these sounds come from the shadows that we see on the wall.
One day, one of us is released from his chains. He falls to the Cave floor. He turns his head. He sees the entrance of the Cave, with the fire burning bright outside. The brightness almost blinds him and he recoils in fear. He is then forced out of the Cave, dragged kicking and screaming. Once outside, his eyes eventually adjust to the light. He sees the fire in all its glory and realises that it is the source of the light in the Cave. He also sees the wall, with the objects being held high behind it. He goes around the wall and sees the procession of people carrying the objects and hears their voices, coming from them. He now realises that the shadows in the Cave were not the real things, and that the voices didn’t come from the shadows, but from the people carrying the objects behind the wall. He is then able to gaze up at the sun itself, and begins to see the Truth.
After this, he returns to Cave, where we all still remain, fixed to the wall, looking forwards at the shadows. The darkness of the Cave now blinds him, his eyes having been opened to the light of the world outside. He call to us and begins to tell us of the real world outside, the fire, the wall, the people, the objects, the sun. He attempts to unshackle us from the Cave wall so that we too can see the Truth of the world, but we see his blindness in the Cave and think him mad, his journey outside must have harmed him, so we resist. We kick out at him, we hiss and spit at him, we do not let him near enough to us to unshackle us. We greatly fear him now and, were we not shackled, would kill him for attempting to drag us out of our Cave.
This is Plato’s Allegory of the Cave.
We are all trapped in the Cave.
Can you break free? Can you step outside and bathe in the light of the Truth?
Or do you prefer the simple, basic world of the shadows?
You must choose. You were born imprisoned but this prison has no guards. You can break free and step outside any time you like.
It’s up to you…
Omega Synthesis 