I have been thinking about Plato's Cave a lot today.
If you have never heard the Allegory before, I'll give you my version in just a second.
If you have heard it before, you can jump to the next section (Unless, of course, you want to read my version of it).
What if Reality was not what you Imagined?
What if one day, you were going about your life as you had always done, but suddenly you hear a "click".
You look at the ground and there are chains that you have never seen before.
You look at your wrists and there are red marks where the chains that you never saw had secretly been.
Now unchained, you wonder what is going on, so you move.
Then, you walk through something you didn't think was possible - a wall, the ground, maybe even the sky.
As you emerge on the other side, you see you are inside a cave.
Your entire life has been a fabrication.
You see that within the cave you find yourself in, there is a projection that has been feeding you fake images your entire life.
You begin to walk around the cave and you see that everyone you have ever interacted with is currently in chains.
Somewhere in the shadows, you also see figures - dark and mysterious - controlling the projections.
You can't tell if they are human, beast, or demon, and it is all so overwhelming that you do what you instinctually were designed to do in a situation you can't yet comprehend.
Run.
You discover that the figures do not chase you, but you continue going down the path you find yourself on.
Until.
You see something you've never seen before, brighter than anything the projections have ever shown you.
As you move closer and closer, your eyes begin to hurt.
With a bit of time, your eyes begin to adjust and that is when you see it.
The Real Outside.
It is more beautiful and terrifying than anything you have ever seen before.
You begin to discover what grass actually feels like, and what wind actually sounds like.
You are mesmerized.
A part of you never wants to leave.
But then, you remember...
All those others who were chained.
You decide to go back into the cave, confront the shadowy figures, and try to free everyone from their chains.
What happens?
Many of those chained do not believe you, even when you point out the chains.
Some you help free, only for them to sprint back to the chains as soon as they see the Shadowy Figures.
A few that you help might make their way to the Outside World, but it is too much, and they also go back to the chains.
What do you do from here?
That is where I find myself right now in my mind.
What do you do when you watch people run back to the chains?
What do you do when people refuse to acknowledge the chains?
What do you do when others know about the shadowy figures yet do nothing?
What do you do?
Part of my thinking on this began yesterday with my Article about Whether We Are "Truly" Free.
I was then looking at some of the platforms where I publish articles.
How many people start writing and never make it past a few articles?
On one platform, I saw that the Average Writer published less than 4 Articles... Ever.
On another platform, I saw that the Average Writer published less than 3 Articles... Ever.
I frequently see Entrepreneurs start Businesses and Executives start Projects, things that could Change the World, only for them to go by the wayside.
Never to be Completed.
I see people talk about creating Habits, which on average take 66 Days to Develop, only for those Behaviors to end in 30 Days or less.
I see things like this happen all the time.
Truly, it makes me so sad to see such Amazing Potential only for it Never to be given a chance to Flourish.
One thing that I know though, is that You can Never Control Others.
You can show them the Chains exist, you can point out the Shadowy Figures, you can also show them what is Possible for them as Humans...
But you can Never Force Them to Reach their Potential.
Then, in the face of that Reality, as you watch people constantly return to the Chains, the Inevitable Question pops up...
What do You do from here?
I know what many people end up choosing.
They return to the Chains.
No one would blame You if You did too.
Many would welcome You back with open arms, and may even try to help You forget what You've seen out of love.
As if, the entire outside world had just been a dream or a delusion.
After a few years, there may not be any trace left of what You discovered in Your life anymore.
What do You do from here?
You could also go the other way.
You could give up on everyone who is chained.
Write them off as lost causes.
Go back out to the "Real World" and simply live the best You can.
Perhaps You do this and you find a few other people who have done the same, and You live out the rest of Your days.
These others may welcome You with open arms, and may even try to help You forget what You've seen out of love.
As if, the entire cave had just been a dream or a delusion.
What do You do from here?
You could also choose to go with the Hardest of the Options...
You could Keep Going Back.
Will most people run back to the Chains?
Probably.
Will a few escape the Cave?
Perhaps.
From those who do escape, will they join You and help You unchain others?
Maybe, but unlikely.
This path is perhaps the most Difficult Path of All.
You will be faced with Failure after Failure, and Defeat after Defeat.
You must get used to Tears, Sweat, Cuts, Bruises, Broken Bones, and Blood.
Not to mention the Shadowy Figures who will Actively Work Against Your Efforts - even after You discover that they too are Chained in their own unique ways.
That is right, the Shadowy Figures themselves are Chained to the System of the Cave just as much as everyone else.
Perhaps even Worse, for they continue Maintaining the System that also chains them.
What do You do from here?
I pose this question, not to say there is a "right" answer or a "wrong" answer.
Every potential answer to the question has its merits and truths, as hard as they may be to swallow and accept at times.
Whichever You choose, be ready to understand what that choice means.