The story of The Allegory of the Cave by Plato is a very interesting one. It’s one that has two major points to it. One being if you would rather stay in “darkness” or ignorant to the truth and the second moral of the story is if you would like to step into the “light” and be told the truth in regards to the real world. A lot of people may have different opinions on this matter but I would have to go with being ignorant and blind for the following reasons.
I wouldn’t like the enlightened choice due to the fact that I’m a very carefree person and don’t always know the truth and right ways that things are. I do know a lot of people who feel better about themselves or safer, if they are withheld from the truth “the light”. I’m pretty sure it’s a better feeling and it can make you happier like in my case. I sure do understand how someone can live with themselves not really knowing what’s out there in life and the world. I’m a very big believer that a lot of people can’t handle the truth or that the truth hurts, but I thinks that’s simply because a lot of things in life aren’t simple. An example that I had in our group discussion was how big apparel companies get caught up in scandals or scrutiny because they don’t pay their employees enough or use child labor which is illegal to make their products. Although this is a very bad thing that they do I, and most people don’t stop supporting or buying their products. For example Nike was once caught up in a dilemma like this but never once did I think or say I wasn’t going to buy their sneakers or sports equipment. I think that since Nike is such a big name in our culture we just let things like this go or slide it under the rug. My favorite sneakers are Jordan brand and at the time it was still a sub-division of Nike. Sure a lot of people say he over charges or we over pay for his sneakers but I just won’t stop buying them. Now even though I know the truth I still chose to support Nike. Plato uses an example like this in his text when he is telling us that after the prisoner was released and set free into the world he pretty much went into denial at first. Then after he came to realize that his new exposure into life was the truth, he decided to go back and tell his fellow prisoners. Once he was back in the cave he told them the truth, but all they saw and heard was the same ignorance that they have known since the were down there. Even though it was a friend who was telling them the truth.
A personal example I had written about in class was something that happened when I was younger between my brother and my cousin. Now my brother and cousin got into a fist fight for some apparent reason and I saw the whole thing. My brother clearly started the fight so when both our parents wanted to find out what happened I sided with my brother who lied to our parents about starting the fight. The only reason I did this was for my own selfish need. This fight happened the day before my brothers ninth birthday and we were both looking forward to getting a new video game. My brother and I both knew that if he was caught lying about the fight he wouldn’t get a gift for his birthday as his punishment. So I sided with him and we both pretended that it was my cousin who started it all. This worked because my cousin was known as the trouble maker between all of us. I can see my cousin sort of like the guy who got released from the prison and came back to tell everybody what things are really like in the outside world and everybody not believing him or turning a deaf ear to his words. That’s just like when my cousin was telling his and my parents that he really didn’t start the fight. No one believed him even though he was telling the truth, just like the guy who finally was enlightened “saw the light”. Now as we are much older we just laugh and joke about the incident, which at the time was only funny to me and my brother. With the other prisoners I can sort of see as to why they didn’t want to know the truth about the real “outside” world. It must have been a very scary feeling not knowing exactly what they were seeing in those shadows.
I hope that with this essay I have helped explain my reasoning into why I think the way I do. Like I said earlier a lot of people may not have my view points , but at least I know its only one other way they can think. For the men locked in the cave I don’t see how staying ignorant or in “darkness” could have hurt them if they were to never get out and experience what that one man go to experience.
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