Plato’s Allegory of The Cave

The problem seemed to have no solution and I began to blame the world for my own misfortunes. The shadows of the cave were speaking to me, but at the time I did not realize that they were simply echoes of reality. My family had not failed me, we had, as all families do, encountered a difficult point in our collective lives. Stressfully, Paulo Coelho said, “But there is suffering in life, and there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it’s better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you’re fighting for.” Accordingly, In order to see this, I had to adjust my perception of the world; like a caveman who for the first time decides to wander around and seek the truth, by grasping little by little the slight hope, through the light cast by the envoy of knowledge; the sun; and realize the truth. My family loved me and always attempted to do it’s best for me.

After seeing the truth and facing my own fears, I set about solving the problem, akin to an intellectual seeking nothing but the persistently unfaltering reality, I realized that my family could no longer protect me in the way they had when I was a child, but they were not immaterial from my life either. Now, as I attend college, I recognize the importance of knowledge but, as Plato pointed out, “Education must begin with the self.” Hence, one must have a clear sense of self and recognize the world for what it is, and not mistake false perceptions for reality.