There are certain instances in life where people would rather sit through the comfort of a lie than face the harsh truths of reality. This same idea is portrayed in the text of Plato's Republic, where three prisoners are confined to a cave facing a blank wall. The prisoner's gradually begin to associate with the shadows that are projected on the wall by a flickering fire behind them. The shadows on the wall are the closest to reality the prisoners ever get to see, thus having them create their own sort of "make-believe" world within the cave.
The situation described in Plato's text can also be made in reference to a personal experience of my own. Where I had chosen to live out of everyone else’s "facade of perfection" and face the truth despite how overwhelming it looked among my peers, my friends, and my family. During the process of my late high school years, I had the realization that what I really wanted to do with my life was perceive a career in the arts. This was not a successful and sophisticated career according to my family however; who proceeded to threaten me with abandonment and tell me how I would never amount to anything if I chose that path in life. Their harsh words and critiques were hurtful and I gradually began to convince myself that I never had any artistic talent to begin with; in hope that my aspirations were just a childish phase and that my family would accept me once again. Never did it cross my mind that I was living and acting to amuse and please those around me, or how I was always sure to keep everyone content at all costs; even if that meant sacrificing my happiness for their own.
Being told what to do and how to do it became as simple as breathing with me, and until just a little while ago I didn't come to realize that being told what is the best thing for you to do sometimes isn't the best thing for you to do at all. Persuading myself that I was a failure was all too easy for me; with being so used to changing my thoughts and emotions to another persons’ preference nearly every moment of the day. It was different this time though, and I noticed a drastic change in my character. I was no longer my creative and fun loving self, and after a certain point in time I began to stop caring about my grades, whether I got out of bed every morning, and most importantly, myself. It was a long time till I finally came to realize that the only way to overcome this severe depression was to change my way of thinking and outlook on life. If I wanted the way I felt to change, I had to change for myself and not for anyone else. I know this better than anyone else, considering that I’m attending a Media Arts course this semester despite my family’s opinions.
Before, I had never come to think about what might just happen if I were to look at all of the possibilities I had before me and if I had a different perspective of what life could be like. As quoted from Socrates in Plato's Republic; "True, he said; how could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?"
According to Plato, the shadows are as close to the real world the prisoner's get to really see. He further explains that the only way the prisoners can come to realizing what reality really is if they are freed from the cave to come to understand that the shadows aren't all there is to life. Knowing this, they can perceive their own form of reality, and not simply one that has been chosen for them by a cave wall and its shadows; or what has been chosen for them by other people, in my case.
I believe that accepting the truth is one of the fundamental tools in reaching happiness. Accepting the truth, guilt, and isolation come hand in hand in these situations, but in the end you come to realize who is really willing to stand beside you the rest of the way. If not, and reaching true happiness means sitting outside of the comfort of the cave alone, then so be it.
No comments:
Post a Comment