The reading states that there are a group of men held in shackles in a cave. Being that they are restrained, they are only allowed to see the wall in front of them. The fire that is behind them allows for the individuals to see shadows. Since they have been born and raised this way they take the shadows as reality. They come up with names for certain figures etc. One day one individual was freed from his shackles, he then went outside the cave and was basically exposed to a new world. A world that was no longer filled with only shadows. He was able to actually see the “things” that made the shadows. But being that he was only shown a part of reality he finds it troubling to adjust to this so called new world. When he went back to tell his former group about what he experienced and what he has seen the men basically shut him down. So the question remains what is reality? It is important to note that this cave is a metaphor for what we know as the “physical world”. Furthermore, the world that we are in right now, the one based off of senses is the world that everyone currently lives in. The only way “out” of that world is through the mind and by using the mind we would rely heavily on logic and reason. When we are able to do that we will then reach the world of form, which is the only “real world”.
I personally feel as though media projects a false reality. In a way media depicts what is beautiful. For example, with “instagram models” we see people with lavish lifestyles and all of those things make a person appear to be super happy. Yet one can find that a majority of them are actually unhappy. I personally used to admire instagram models and in all honesty envy them a bit. However, when i focused all my time and energy into trying to appear as one i felt as though i was tearing myself apart, in order to look the part. It wasn’t until i took a step back and really realized that i’m so much more than my insecurities and there are so much more to life than social media. So i “cleansed” myself from social media for 3 months and found that i was actually a lot more happier and at peace with myself. In the reading Plato stated, “Well then, if he recalled to mind his first habitation and what passed for wisdom there, and his fellow bondsmen, do you not think that he would count himself happy in the change and pity them?” This new recollection that i felt while escaping one reality in order to view another allowed me to feel pity for who i once was and who others’ continue to be.
I think that we do mistake fiction for reality, being that people do buy consumer goods in order to look a certain way in order to fulfill societies expectations as beautiful. That proves that we do attempt to live in this false reality.
I do believe that our physical world is a reality to whom the world is being viewed by.
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