We have hiked through Troy and Greece and we have finally stumbled upon the famous Plato's Cave. Now that we're here, it's kind of like watching the end of Inception. Do I know what I know? Is everything that I thought I knew just a dream or a symbol, and not the true Form of the thing? But reading it, I'm tempted to feel sorry for the prisoner who was let go and encountered all this new information. He learned about pain and fire and confusion. There are harsh and painful things in the real world. Things that, theoretically, the rest of the captives in the cave wouldn't have to experience or ever know about. However, there's more to life than being spoon fed what you're "supposed" to know. You must learn things and encounter them for yourself. Enlightenment is key to a higher form of life (thanks Kant!), and those who live in the cave forever, watching shadows and being unable to look left or right or find out things for themselves, can barely count as living. They're alive, but they have no life other than what is given them. The pain of being dragged out of the cave and squinting into the blinding sun is necessary. I can't help but think of my childhood in this metaphor...
Picture me, but eight years old, with short unruly brown hair and stubbornness beyond anything this world has dreamt of. I lived in Louisville, Kentucky, not far from a place called Mammoth Caves. My family would hike, camp, and picnic there often, and I haven't seen many things as pretty as the multicolored rock cave walls all lit up. The first time I went, I was eight, and hadn't done much long distance or strenuous hiking, so this four-mile hike called the Grand Avenue Tour was one of the hardest things Small Abbie had ever had to accomplish. We hiked all the steps down to the belly of the cave and then all the steps back up and y'all that tuckered me out. I ended up falling asleep in my jeans and tshirt on the couch and sleeping for the next day because I was just that tired. Climbing out of that cave was ridiculously difficult, but it was one of the proudest moments of my eight year old life. I learned about caves and stalagmites and stalactites. They turned off the lights in the belly of the cave for five minutes, and it was the darkest dark imaginable. It gave new meaning to the light outside the cave. And hey, we all may be tuckered out after our learning experience (thanks midterms!) but we're going to be proud of our hike at the end.
PS Haylee Lynd and Isabelle Ferguson
I had a similar experience with caves in 3rd grade!! We lived near Cathedral Caverns in North Alabama and I have never experienced such intense darkness as I did when they shut off the lights. It was such a cool moment!
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience this past summer. We went to the Great Smoky Mountains and went into some caves there(some very sketchy caves but nonetheless), and for five minutes they turned out all the lights completely. We couldn't see anything. The tourists were to all remain seated less we get up, walk around, and fall into the pit in front of us because we were unaccustomed to the darkness. In contrast, our guide, who had been in this darkness countless times, walked around and along the edge of the hole which he could've fallen into. He could do so because he was used to the darkness. We could not because we were used to the light.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading this I couldn't help but think of our honors Moto "Only what is won through darkness will remain." Plato reminds us that darkness is harsh and cold but he neglects that people who leave darkness will never wish to return once they are acquainted to it. I know he talks about the journey the leaders take to truth but I am very conflicted by the idea of having them return because I see they would most definitely be going back kicking and screaming and gnashing teeth.
ReplyDeleteI love love LOVE this post! Your metaphor and story in the second paragraph is beautiful. It's so cool that you actually had an experience in a cave that you can relate back to while reading. Also, I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one who thought of the quality of life those prisoners were living in. Amazing post!
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