Imagine, like
Plato, that most people live in a cave without knowing it. They go about their lives oblivious of the
limitations of cave life. The air is
smoky. The light is no good. It flickers.
Images appear and disappear. Time
moves on, and the familiar reality of the cave is taken to be the only reality
that exists. The surfaces of things
advertise themselves brightly, and are the first seen. We cave dwellers, like children, are
habituated to a certain way of life based on all kinds of illusions and
fantasies that are taken to be true. We
think we see palaces and boulevards, but they are only projections on the
walls.
What, now, if
something happens to disrupt the unthinking flow of busy life? What if tragedy strikes your family? What if the doctor says that you have only
six months to live? What if the stock
market crashes? What if a new disease
starts to get out of control? What if
war breaks out? The lights start to come on. The cave is illuminated, and the
residents see that they exist in an empty underground chamber.
In the corner
there is a way out, but it is scary to leave the comfort of home as long as the
illusion of safety is maintained. Unless
pushed, no one wants to leave the normal course of life. It seems that human beings are able to handle
only small doses of reality. Let us hope
the cave doesn't collapse.
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