Plato's Allegory of the Cave

[DISCLAIMER]

For most of my life, I was allegorically chained to a wall in the cave of ignorance (lacking of knowledge, education, or awareness) regarding self-disturbance (the manner in which a person upsets oneself with rigid beliefs about undesirable circumstances).

Although I’d informally served as a life coach to other people with whom I was chained, I was only able to provide cathartic relief from the experience of suffering in which we found ourselves. Disempowering assistance to these individuals came in the form of advice and clichés.

Then, I underwent the uncomfortable process of finding a way out the cave through the process of education. In 2011, I earned a master’s degree in counseling. During that time, my studies focused on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), as I’ll briefly explain its two tools.

Tool number one is the ABC model. This technique demonstrates how when undesirable Adversity occurs and a person maintains irrational Beliefs about the event, it’s one’s unhelpful attitude and not the situation itself that causes unpleasant Consequences (e.g., fear, anger, etc.).

In order to resolve the experience of self-inflicted suffering, Disputation of unproductive assumptions is used so that an individual can discover and implement Effective new beliefs. Use of this tool requires personal responsibility and accountability for one’s own reactions to events.

Tool number two is the practice of unconditional acceptance (UA). This is accomplished through use of unconditional self-acceptance, unconditional other-acceptance, and unconditional life-acceptance. As well, Stoic philosophy is interwoven into UA.

Using this technique, REBT acknowledges the fallibility of oneself, others, and life while identifying how little control and influence people actually have in any given circumstance. Likewise, the concepts of impermanence and uncertainty are integrated into this tool.

After becoming a psychotherapist, having successfully freed myself from an allegorical cave through the process of education, I continued acquiring knowledge to address ignorance by earning a master’s degree in social work in 2014. I was then ready to share what I learned.

However, when I attempted to impart knowledge to those who remained chained to walls within the cave, I discovered that many people refused the REBT antidote to ignorance. I sought to empower people with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Yet, they didn’t want to be freed.

When contemplating this matter further, I sought to figure out why or how people would want to remain in the dark. During my contemplation, I reflected upon Greek philosopher Plato and his allegory of the cave in the Republic. Summarizing this Socratic dialogue, one source states:

Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” is a concept devised by the philosopher to ruminate on the nature of belief versus knowledge. The allegory begins with prisoners who have lived their entire lives chained inside a cave. Behind the prisoners is a fire, and between the fire and the prisoners are people carrying puppets or other objects. These cast shadows on the opposite wall. The prisoners watch these shadows, believing this to be their reality as they’ve known nothing else.

Plato posits that one prisoner could become free. He finally sees the fire and realizes the shadows are fake. This prisoner could escape from the cave and discover there is a whole new world outside they were previously unaware of.

This prisoner would believe the outside world is so much more real than that in the cave. He would try to return to free the other prisoners. Upon his return, he is blinded because his eyes are not accustomed to actual sunlight. The chained prisoners would see this blindness and believe they will be harmed if they try to leave the cave.

I’m the allegorical prisoner who escaped a cave of ignorance. Yet, when I attempted to free others from bondage, they refused to leave the place in which they were confined. But why or how could this be? Answering this query, one source opines:

This account of their predicament is not, of course, one that the prisoners themselves would — or could — offer. They do not and cannot understand their situation, since all of life’s experiences are but shifting shadows and echoes. Plato says that the “prisoners would in every way believe that the truth is nothing other than the shadows.”

Indeed they would not suspect that the things they see are but shadows, nor even have the concept of a shadow. They pass the time in trivial games of shadow-prediction, unaware of their keepers, the fire, or the parade of objects behind them.

People within the cave gaze at sporting events in which vulgar displays of physical competition dull the senses of an observer, political rallies which reflect in- versus out-group lunacy, so-called “reality” television which glorifies celebrity mediocrity, and other shadows on the walls.

Few people allegorically chained to walls within cave desire freedom. Though, they’ll ridicule the occasional prisoner that attains freedom while daring to venture back into the earthly hole to free others. One need not provide a charitable perspective to this matter. I’ll call it what it is.

Many people desire to remain ignorant and continually self-disturb when using unfavorable beliefs about their circumstances. All this, while simultaneously lulling themselves further into utter nescience offered by illusory distractions while mistaking belief for knowledge of reality.

Without use of inflexible conditions, I can accept this fact. After all, that’s what the practice of UA requires – tolerance and acceptance of those matters in life which one considers undesirable. Using this approach to rational living, I find myself contentedly un-disturbed.

For now, I’ll continue trying to help those who dare to risk discomfort that’s inherent with the process of self-change. Besides, I’m not the only person to make it out of the allegorical cave. Others have endured discomfort, as well. How about you? Would you like to escape to freedom?

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

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