the story about that cave is still one of my all-time-favorite stories. Written by that Greek guy Plato but handed down by his tutor Sokrates, it is truly amazing how one so simple-looking story can tell you just about everything you need to know. It even holds an eternal warning, meaning it stretches out above the time and space dimensions of the 3th dimensional level.
Let me fresh up your memories. The story tells about these people who are a sort of prisoners in this dark cave where there is a man-made fire and where they do nothing but sit and stare at the shadows at the walls. Because they don't know anything else, they think these shadows are the real world but in fact they are the shadows of objects that other men carry around with them. Can you imagine this situation? It's very strange, no? 'No, not really', the person in Plato's text says, because these prisoners don't differ that much from us.
Let me fresh up your memories. The story tells about these people who are a sort of prisoners in this dark cave where there is a man-made fire and where they do nothing but sit and stare at the shadows at the walls. Because they don't know anything else, they think these shadows are the real world but in fact they are the shadows of objects that other men carry around with them. Can you imagine this situation? It's very strange, no? 'No, not really', the person in Plato's text says, because these prisoners don't differ that much from us.
What Sokrates/Plato meant to say is that very few people are independent thinkers. They don't make up their own minds but chew on concepts other people keep feeding them. They don't stand in their own light but in that of others. They don't know their own strenghts. They don't know what they're capable of or who they really are.
If you think about this situation a little bit more yourself, you'll come to understand that the danger in this situation is that they will never find out what true freedom is all about. They just live their lives in this sort of vegetative sleep-state and don't even realize they are in this state. You see, that's why there are prisoners in the story. Prisoners, not only in a physical sense but in a mental and moral sense as well.
Does this already remind you of the Matrix-trilogy of the Wachowski-brothers? Good!
If you think about this situation a little bit more yourself, you'll come to understand that the danger in this situation is that they will never find out what true freedom is all about. They just live their lives in this sort of vegetative sleep-state and don't even realize they are in this state. You see, that's why there are prisoners in the story. Prisoners, not only in a physical sense but in a mental and moral sense as well.
Does this already remind you of the Matrix-trilogy of the Wachowski-brothers? Good!
So, what happens when one day someone does 'wake up' and succeeds to escape the big, dark creepy cave? Obviously, when he stands outside and in the bright light, his eyes will not see immediately because of the simple fact that they are being blinded. It will take some time for the escaped prisoner to adjust his eyes to the light and then to the real world. Can you imagine how this must feel? The shock can be compared from living in a black and white 2-dimensional sphere to living in the Light and then returning from the top-levels, all the way down to the 5th Dimension where time and space are added to the techni-color 3D surroundings and finally back to the 2-dimensional world.
What follows next is that the-escaped-prisoner-turned-enlightened-free-human-being deliberately returns to the cave in order to help the other prisoners. After all, they are his own people and therefor his family and friends. But when this free human being wants to free his friends down in the cave, it turns out to be not quite that simple… First of all, the enlightened one himself suffers great difficulty returning in the darkness of the cave because now his eyes need again to adjust themselves! Think about it: you finally felt alive, breathed some good air and saw the whole world bathed in all sorts of Light and now you have to live again amongst the shadows of a world that's practically more death then alive…
And if that is not difficult and disturbing enough, while in this process, the enlightened-one also comes to realize that it's not so easy to find the proper words to communicate his message. Maybe he can express himself but that is not the same as trying to deliver the most important message of all.
The enlightened-one wants to scream because he's so excited: 'You're making a mistake! This is not the real world! There is a world outside! You all need to wake up, stand up, free yourself from your shackles and go and look and see for yourself!' But the screaming does not really help. On the contrary.
How can he describe the beauty of the Light and the wonderful world outside when his friends have no clue what so ever what he's talking about? They watch the enlightened-one and even think that they are better of in the cave if going outside only means you end up with wasted eyes and a scrambled mind… The more the enlightened-one tries his best to make himself understandable, the more his friends laugh with him and call him names. 'Look at him (or her)! What is he so excited about!? He must have lost his mind! Hahahaha… the poor thing… the stupid, pathetic creature… Look at him…Hahaha…'
'Oh, if only they would listen', the enlightened-one thinks. 'Or if only i could free them so they could see for themselves!'
And if that is not difficult and disturbing enough, while in this process, the enlightened-one also comes to realize that it's not so easy to find the proper words to communicate his message. Maybe he can express himself but that is not the same as trying to deliver the most important message of all.
The enlightened-one wants to scream because he's so excited: 'You're making a mistake! This is not the real world! There is a world outside! You all need to wake up, stand up, free yourself from your shackles and go and look and see for yourself!' But the screaming does not really help. On the contrary.
How can he describe the beauty of the Light and the wonderful world outside when his friends have no clue what so ever what he's talking about? They watch the enlightened-one and even think that they are better of in the cave if going outside only means you end up with wasted eyes and a scrambled mind… The more the enlightened-one tries his best to make himself understandable, the more his friends laugh with him and call him names. 'Look at him (or her)! What is he so excited about!? He must have lost his mind! Hahahaha… the poor thing… the stupid, pathetic creature… Look at him…Hahaha…'
'Oh, if only they would listen', the enlightened-one thinks. 'Or if only i could free them so they could see for themselves!'
But when the enlightened-one tries to free the prisoners, things get seriously out of hand and in the end he's being killed. By whom he's being killed is not very clear but that is no coincidence. If you start using your own mind, you can start to imagine what had happened. All the ingredients are there. You just have to start using your own mind and then in the end you will learn to see. It's all about a learning process. That is the essence which makes this a truly great 'story'.
So let's see. We start with the black and white version first. It does make sense that all the people in the cave would rather have the enlightened-one out of the way, no? Just think about it: the people who are carrying the objects around and thus creating the shadows on the walls, would not want their 'prisoners' to go outside because what purpose in their life would then remain? Who will look at their statues and think they are representing the real world? And the 'prisoners' who are used to their normal way of living think it's better to stick to the old then to go outside and live with painful eyes and a scrambled mind. Why change a good thing? The life they lead is not that bad after all... No, better to get rid of the enlightened-one and not to be bothered with the whole subject is much better and is what they all think. Never change a winning team. In this case, as you can imagine, the story ends sadly. For everyone.
So let's see. We start with the black and white version first. It does make sense that all the people in the cave would rather have the enlightened-one out of the way, no? Just think about it: the people who are carrying the objects around and thus creating the shadows on the walls, would not want their 'prisoners' to go outside because what purpose in their life would then remain? Who will look at their statues and think they are representing the real world? And the 'prisoners' who are used to their normal way of living think it's better to stick to the old then to go outside and live with painful eyes and a scrambled mind. Why change a good thing? The life they lead is not that bad after all... No, better to get rid of the enlightened-one and not to be bothered with the whole subject is much better and is what they all think. Never change a winning team. In this case, as you can imagine, the story ends sadly. For everyone.
But there is more. Does this story not remind you of a certain enlightened person that tried to free his people and got killed trying to do so? And second: if Sokrates/Plato wrote the story about the cave long before someone like Jesus Christ entered the world stage, does this mean that they knew what was coming? The answer is yes, of course. Those wise men already freed themselves. They had seen the Light and watched the cave from outside. Standing there, looking at the world from a much higher point of view, they saw all things connected. The way they understood the One-ness came out of a deep spirituality in which the word 'spiritual' literally means 'SpiritYouAll'.
You see, the story about the cave tells the story of the Light and of its Rays of Light at the end of which there are us, souls. Every man and women on this planet is free - is born free - but has got to realize what it means to be free. The deep spirituality of what the concept of freedom means, is like taking a journey into the unknown. Every step of that road will take you not only outside the cave but inside yourself, more and more closer to the true essence of You which is at the same time the true essence of All. Deep down or high above, there is only One Truth: WE ARE ONE.
Don't mistake. It takes guts to free yourself from the shackels that keep you imprisoned. To take the Road less traveled, is to change yourself in the first place (which is the you sitting in the cave) and ultimately ending up in changing the world around you (which is the you standing outside the cave and connecting with the ones in the cave and deciding to go back in to help them). The idea of the shadow on the lowest level of the staircase and the Sun on the other end leads ultimately to the understanding of the multi-dimensional Self but i will be talking about that some other time soon. Where were we?
Everyone that tries to become an independent thinker will discover that the Road is long and covered with many obstacles. People who do not want to see the truth for themselves, will simply not like you telling them about it.
You see, the story about the cave tells the story of the Light and of its Rays of Light at the end of which there are us, souls. Every man and women on this planet is free - is born free - but has got to realize what it means to be free. The deep spirituality of what the concept of freedom means, is like taking a journey into the unknown. Every step of that road will take you not only outside the cave but inside yourself, more and more closer to the true essence of You which is at the same time the true essence of All. Deep down or high above, there is only One Truth: WE ARE ONE.
Don't mistake. It takes guts to free yourself from the shackels that keep you imprisoned. To take the Road less traveled, is to change yourself in the first place (which is the you sitting in the cave) and ultimately ending up in changing the world around you (which is the you standing outside the cave and connecting with the ones in the cave and deciding to go back in to help them). The idea of the shadow on the lowest level of the staircase and the Sun on the other end leads ultimately to the understanding of the multi-dimensional Self but i will be talking about that some other time soon. Where were we?
Everyone that tries to become an independent thinker will discover that the Road is long and covered with many obstacles. People who do not want to see the truth for themselves, will simply not like you telling them about it.
Then, after the black and white version, we make room for some other ideas. For example: what happens when some of the prisoners start to doubt? What if some start asking themselves if the enlightened-one is in fact right? What if some believe the enlightened-one, free themselves and start making the trip outside the cave? Will they be held back by the ones that don't want (them) to leave the cave? Of course. There will be a lot of pushing and pulling. There will be fights. There will be wars.
And here's another idea: will some of them stay outside without wanting to go back inside and help the others? Of course. There will be some that will make that choice too. Free will = free will.
And another idea: also, there will be some who will decide to go back into the cave but not to help. They are the ones who will join the ones who carry objects around, creating thus a shadow-world for others to believe in (them).
Incredible no? How many layers we find back in this story! And there is more! These layers, that uncover all of our dimensions or ways of existence, are being held together by the greatest concept of All: the concept of the Ultimate One-ness or the Sun (the Light).
The fact that Sokrates/Plato talks about the enlightened-one who feels it as his duty as a human being to go back to the prisoners and to help them free themselves, states a moral position of the highest kind. This is what everyone of us should in fact be doing, Sokrates/Plato says. We need to first, free ourselves, and then second, go back in (or not) but always help the others. This is what we all should be doing to create a better world. Each and everyone of us need to make up his own mind and see for him/herself what Life is truly all about.
Do you notice the circle that is being made here? Recycling is not just something that you need to be doing as a part of a more ecological way of living, no, recycling - on a deep spiritual level - is all about understanding the true meaning of Life. The circle is being made round as is the way of all things in the Universe. What comes around, goes around. What you learn, you need to pass to others. All the other decisions are in fact the results of a lesser think-path and lower Gods, such as the ones who carry around their statues, creating the shadows other believe to be real.
Another message Sokrates/Plato and all the other Light-workers such as Jezus the Christ, the Boeddha, etc, etc., wants to pass on to us is this one: 'Let the Light in! Have a Heart! Have compassion! Do not judge but always understand and then hold people responsible for their actions.' The situation in which the eyes are 'waisted' and 'the mind all mixed up', does not only apply on the one who went up but also on the one who went down again. In other words, these two situations are so much the same, no one has the right to feel more or less important. We all have the same power and knowledge laid out before us. It's up to each individual to disconnect from the cave and to step into the Light and then to return (or not). Whatever it is you'll do - stay outside or go back in - remember: always hold the Light high (and become a statue of liberty, why not?).
And then last but not least: see how important it is to learn about the bigger picture? All the different aspects of the Road can only be understood if you have knowledge of that bigger picture: the cave of Sokrates/Plato. Oh, i do love this story!
Have a wonderful day :)
