As we grow and mature in the world we live in, we begin to learn more about our personal fears, hopes, and beliefs. We begin to mold a self-concept of who we think we are. This self-concept is a composite of ideas and attitudes that a person has about his or her own identity. Factors such as the values and opinions of others, however, can play a significant role in the shaping of this self-concept. Although this compound of ideas that we believe is true about ourselves can be one that is admirable, it can also be one that diminishes the light of true self-actualization. Instead of a person becoming more of who they already are, a self-concept can be a chain that merely traps a person in a state of longing to become something they hope they are, while at the same time fearing they are not truly that person they are striving to be. Concepts like these that are conceived in the mind usually represent abstract ideas generalized from mental perceptions about life. Who you truly are does not stem from these abstract and general ideas; however, it stems from something not conceived in your mind. Who you truly are rather stems from something deeper and more real and that is from the depth of your being, your soul.
Recognizing and being in tune with the true essence of our being is what can lead us to self-actualization and the true illumination of our potential. If we live our lives based off a false or generalized concept of who we wish we were, we will never truly realize the things we are capable of overcoming and becoming; we will be shackled in a mindset of false illusions and desires. We will find ourselves in a cave of false hopes, beliefs, and perceptions. Like the cumulative image of the Cave that Plato illustrates in The Republic, we will be trapped in our own misconceptions of reality. The Allegory of the Cave presented in Book VII helps us understand this concept further as it illustrates what is truly preventing us from being enlightened and from attaining true knowledge of ourselves and the world around us.
Through Socrates, we are able to visualize and understand the multi-faceted meanings from the Cave metaphor. These can be seen in the beginning with the presence of prisoners that are chained within the cave; they are bound to the floor and are unable to turn their heads to see what goes on behind them (514a-15a; 516a-c). Behind the prisoners, under the protection of the parapet, lie the puppeteers that create the shadows on the walls that the prisoners perceive as being reality. Since the prisoners are incapable of turning around, they are thus incapable of realizing that the realities they are witnessing are merely shadows created from wooden and iron objects. And so, through the allegory at this point, we can conclude that the prisoners have “names” for only things they can fathom with their minds and not things they are actually able to see.
This inability to see things for what they truly are is one of the major shackles that causes the prisoners to remain in their dwelling of darkness. The shadows cast by the puppets are those that keep the prisoners preoccupied with cultural myths and assumptions. In an unjust society these things can be prejudices, stereotypes, and other false conceptions that hinder members of society from seeing the truth about themselves or those around them. These false concepts are what hold back individuals from realizing their full potential; they conversely influence individuals into forming self-concepts that are not based on reality but rather on ideals and standards unjustly made. If these cultural shackles are not questioned or removed, they will continue to blind the prisoners from the truth of self-fulfillment that can only be achieved when the shackles are removed and one can witness the reality that is not a mere shadow of cultural presuppositions.
This ascent towards understanding the truth about one’s self and reality is not an easy task. Plato describes the vision of the real truth to be "aching" to the eyes of the prisoners, and that after seeing that which is truly real, a previous dweller of the cave would need some time to adjust to his new world above (516a-b). What allows the prisoner to free himself from his shackles and foolishness is the process of acquiring a certain type of education. This education is not obtained through simply putting knowledge into empty minds, but rather through making people realize that which they already know. Thus, the process of reaching enlightenment and self-actualization is not a process of creating one’s self but a process of discovering one’s self. Here we can again see the distinction between a self-concept and reality. If one is blinded about the reality of himself due to cultural assumptions or the opinions of others, he will never truly match his reality with his self-concept. This will ultimately shackle him in the cave and prevent him from illuminating his true potential.
Just like sight cannot be put into blind eyes, knowledge cannot simply be placed into souls that lack it; it requires awareness of one’s own self and understanding. Learning can only occur then when an individual frees himself from the chains that bind him, turns around towards the light, and learns to accept things as they are rather than as one perceives them to be. This learning can be marked and seen when those that achieve enlightenment can see their former chains. They no longer view these chains as being transparent, and the things that previously shackled them become noticeable. This is because the soul has become illuminated and the enlightened person has achieved true self-actualization where he understands the true essence of his being. When we realize that who we are is not the collection of abstract ideas that we have conjured in our minds and we comprehend that "the capacity to learn and the organ with which to do so are present in every person's soul" (518c), we can then begin to ascend from the shadows of our perceptions into the true awareness of our existence.
An allegory, like the Allegory of the Cave, is a representation of abstract meanings through symbolism to illustrate a truth or a moral. Being like an incomplete simile, it requires that the reader supply what is similar to the events described. For this reason, when one reads the Allegory of the Cave, he can make connections to his own life that may be different than the connections others make. These many connections that readers can establish do not take away from the elements of the allegory, but rather enforce them. Everyone must find his or her own path to self-actualization, and although the road may be tedious and difficult, it will always provide illumination to those who reach their full potential and understand reality as it truly is. No matter how strong one’s shackles were or how difficult it was to ascend into that understanding that is based on truth, the destination will yield similar results. Some may take longer than others and some may reach different answers, but no matter how shadowed their previous beliefs were, it is still possible for them to conquer the path to enlightenment.
Those who have been liberated from the cave have achieved the highest level of knowledge that comes with understanding. The contrasts formulated between the shadows, the reflections, and the actual objects are clues to discerning the different levels of enlightenment that can be attained. For example, the shadows reflected in the cave can be a wide variety of disagreements and opinions that individuals have about a certain truth. This can be how others view you or interpret your behavior. In order to “see” the real version of yourself, you must attain reliable knowledge that guides you towards a truth that is not blurred and a truth that is not changing. This truth is not always something that can be seen in your outward behavior and conduct because it stems from an intelligible source rather than a visible source—the soul. True understanding of your soul and the essence of your being is what can de-mystify the shackles that you may be blinded from; with this realization you can enter the world of thought and leave the world of only senses and wavering shadows.
The Allegory of the Cave represents a complex model of how we journey in our lives towards understanding ourselves and reality. The progress of thought, introspection, and human development is what can guide our souls to true self-actualization. Our path to complete awareness will require that we drop created self-concepts that are shadowed and adopt truths about ourselves that are based on reality. In many instances in our lives we may find ourselves placed in situations where we are challenged to stand in the integrity of our soul and who we truly are. But as we accept the reality of our essence, we may find that the opinions of others will affect us less and less. We may discover that through accepting who we are, we are able to relieve ourselves of shackles imposed on us by others; we may find our finally unveiled truths ultimately guiding us from the Cave to illuminated potential.
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