Dear random person who probably accidentally stumbled on my site. You are about to read 3,958 words that can save you from modern slavery. Please pay careful attention. What you are about to go through – neatly labeled allegory of the cave examples in real life – is deceptively simple. In fact, I’m going to ask for a bit of patience from some of you. Especially those who consider themselves familiar with Plato’s idea of the allegory of the cave.
The allegory of the cave is probably the most famous thought experiment of all time. It’s a brain-bending concept so widely celebrated that it’s still cited 2,400 years after it was first published in Plato’s greatest work, The Republic.
For those of you who haven’t read my allegory of the cave summary, nor paid attention in school, the premise of the story is the following:
Imagine humans living in a cave. But instead of getting to wander around and explore their underground dungeon, they’ve been chained to the floor since birth. Their heads are locked in place, forcing them to stare at one particular wall like it’s the only channel on some cosmic cable package. Behind them? There’s a fire, but they’ve never seen it. What they do see are shadows – shadows cast by figures held up by the so-called “image makers.” And, for their entire lives, these prisoners have known nothing but these shadows. They talk about them like it’s the latest gossip, genuinely believing that getting their hands on these shadowy things will make them whole – like they’ve finally cracked the code for ultimate living.
Here’s a pic to get a hold of the whole scene:
At some point in this doom-and-gloom cave scenario, one guy randomly gets released – don’t ask how, it’s not important. What matters is that he starts wandering around and, surprise surprise, he finally sees the people casting those shadows. He realizes, “Oh crap, all those years I’ve been obsessing over shadows like they were the real deal.” These new insights tempt him to return to his old, comforting beliefs but no such luck. He’s dragged, kicking and screaming, out of the cave, where for the first time, he’s hit by the light of the sun. At first this is awful. The sunlight fries his eyes like he’s been binge-watching Netflix in the dark for too long. But eventually, he gets used to it. He starts to actually see – real objects, not just their shadowy knock-offs. He basically discovers the true essence of things. All enlightened and inspired, he rushes back to the cave to drop this knowledge on his pals. But instead of being impressed, they get so triggered by his “truth” talk that they start plotting his murder. End of story.
If you are thinking, “There is no way the above relates to the 21st century. Cave? Image makers? Shadows cast on a wall? People aiming to kill a person trying to help? No way!”
Yet, when you think about it for more than 2 seconds, the parallels between the allegory and modern life start to look ghoulishly similar.
- People are not chained inside a dark cave staring at a wall, but for the majority of their day-to-day existence, they are facing a screen where a certain lifestyle is presented as a must-have.
- People consider themselves open-minded and tolerant of other people’s different lifestyles, but get annoyed when their beliefs are confronted – usually rejecting new findings like it’s a spam email.
- People don’t try to kill other people who are trying to help, but they do dismiss, mock, and even act hostile against folks who try to present new worldviews.
Yes, I know. Surely our condition doesn’t look as bad as presented by Plato. But simply because things don’t look bad doesn’t mean they are not bad.
To simplify things, instead of a cave, imagine your existence as follows:
You live inside a bubble.
Initially, it’s pretty empty.
Over time, however, your bubble begins to fill with all kinds of beliefs.
What enters your bubble are all things dropped by outsiders. People who (hopefully) love you: your mom, dad, your grandparents, the cousin from Southern Massachusetts with the funny mustache. But also, other folks: your peers, people you see on TV, stuff you read in books and comics, etc.
Eventually, all of these ideas and concepts blend with your persona. You become one with these ideas.
Perhaps you once had dreams about what you wanted to do with your life. But society crushed those aspirations. Your ambitions have been molded by the necessities of the economic and social structure of society.
What does this mean? The following:
- Your parents think that working a 9-to-5 job is the only way to secure income? You think the same.
- Your peers consider spending all of their saved cash on a trip around the world to “find themselves”? You want to do the same.
- Social media celebs push the idea that spending all your time chasing after luxury items is the ultimate source of joy? You neatly follow.
Or in other words, simply because you are not physically chained to the floor and forced to look at a wall, doesn’t mean that your headspace is not brainwashed to adhere to ideas that are not ultimately yours. The allegory of the cave is just that, an allegory. It’s a metaphor aimed to reveal a hidden meaning.
After this little introduction, I want to point out a handful of real-life examples emerging from the allegory of the cave. A few concepts that I believe we, as modern citizens, need to grasp to defend ourselves from the forces of ignorance trying to keep us barricaded in an underground lair of mediocrity.
Let’s dive right in…
Allegory Of The Cave Examples In Real Life
1. Recognize The Chains That Bind You
It’s crucial to understand that the chains mentioned in the allegory of the cave are not chains in the real world. They are actually viewed as the opposite: an act of freedom.
When I was a teenager and up until I was about 25, I was really passionate about… wait for it… smoking and drinking. And no, I’m not being sarcastic here. I mean this in a very genuine, earnest way.
I loved drinking. I loved going out with friends. Roaming bars and meeting new people, while all of this was accompanied by a drink in my hand and a smoke in my mouth.
Back then, if you had told me that my whole behavior was a cry for help and a lousy way to spend my youth, I would’ve verbally slapped you in the face with an epic rant about how it’s my life and I can do whatever the hell I want with it.
If it’s not already obvious, I now know better – or at least I hope. I quit smoking over a decade ago, and as for booze, I’ve been steering clear for more than five years.
Yet, this realization is uncommon.
I know a lot of people who still f*cking love to go to a pub and throw a wad of money at the bartender in exchange for a fine bottle of whiskey.
- Do these folks think that drinking is bad for them? Of course not.
- Do they ever consider swapping this behavior for something a bit more meaningful or enriching? Not really.
Why are they doing it then?
Because that’s what society considers normal.
Remember the bubble from above?
At some point in our existence, someone tossed alcohol into the mix of things we’re supposed to consider important and worth doing.
It was probably the liquor industry, or maybe it was the cool kids who started drinking and you were so desperate to fit in that you just went along with it. Or maybe, just maybe, this habit was unconsciously handed down by your alcoholic father, who, in his desperation or whatever, figured that downing a bottle of gin after work was the best way to cope with his seemingly impossible-to-handle daily life.
For me personally, all of the above apply.
I thought alcohol was my ticket to banishing my worries, but what I didn’t see coming was how it slowly started piling on even more problems, instead of actually solving any of them.
2. Recognize The Image Makers
Picture this: You are a little child. You still don’t know a whole lot about how the world operates. You have an idea about the local playgrounds and alleys, but that’s just about it. Who are you going to trust in relation to such a wide-spreading topic as what you should do with your life? Your gut feeling, or the public opinion that seems to have everything all figured out?
Don’t even bother answering. I believe it’s quite obvious that you’ll choose the wisdom of the crowd.
See, we humans are biologically conditioned to live in herds.1
Years ago, this was the only way you could navigate the wild, treacherous savanna or the dense, unpredictable jungle.
And sure, even today, there’s a lot to learn from fellow humans.
The problem as it happens though, is that we completely dismiss our own desires in exchange for acceptance from the crowd. Acceptance from the modern “image makers” – celebrities, influencers, media moguls, tech companies, or even the neighborhood kid who is just a bit more impudent and aggressive than the rest.
If we back up a bit and picture the bubble from above once again, one question emerges: Who are the people outside the bubble who drop things inside the bubble?
The answer is insultingly obvious: The people closest to us.
Needless to say, this circle of people include folks like your parents and neighbors. But it also includes people endorsed by mass media.
When I was a kid, social media hadn’t been invented yet. Yet we had a TV and we’d binge on movies, shows, and whatever else we could watch whenever we got the chance.
I can’t state specifics, but the main concept I recall based on what was portrayed on television was the following: things matter. And not just any things, but expensive things.
Nowadays, this idea is still valid but it’s amplified and infecting the consciousness of all living creatures with a smartphone in hand.
In short, the main focus in our current world is the following: you are not enough if you don’t own a lot of stuff.
All of this brings us to the next idea…
3. Recognize The Cast Images
It’s one thing to recognize the people who our society considers worth subscribing to. It’s quite another to realize the ideas these people cast on society.
In order for someone to become worthy of being accepted by mass media, he has to cut through the thick crowd of individuals who are desperately fighting for attention and recognition. And how does that happen in the 21st century? What does someone need to do in order to outshine the rest of the folks?
You might think that you should double down on your talents. Or that you should develop self-discipline. Sure, those things help, but if you look a bit closer, you will see that these aren’t exactly the qualities that grant you the ticket to fame and fortune.
When we look at the current image makers, the narrative around their success unfolds the following concepts: you have to deceive; you need to act famous before you are famous; you have to find shortcuts to get promoted as an image maker yourself.
A few years ago, the narrative instilled in people’s brains was: “Work hard, and you’ll make it”. Today, the path to success isn’t about mastering a craft or putting in years of hard work into something meaningful. No, it’s about hacking the system, finding shortcuts, and making your way to the top as fast as possible.
Don’t quite agree?
Open Instagram and it’s instantly obvious. The most-liked photos feature half-naked people lounging on the beach. Does this narrative scream “get a real job,” or is it more like a not-so-subtle hint that you should undress yourself too?
Head to a library and you’ll see it for yourself. The bestselling titles aren’t about getting rich slowly; they’re all about finding the shortcut to wealth and fame.
Open a typical blog-style website. The most discussed titles don’t suggest that it will take you years to make it. The “famous” people are waiting on standby to offer you handy tips on how to get rich quick.
Overall, the narrative is that you can make it big. That you should make it big. And, fortunately, there are resources readily available that will help you reach this state of glory and riches asap or faster.
If we somehow fail to impress the crowd, despite apparently having access to all needed resources, we can always fall back on the last-ditch strategy: showing off our latest gadget or jetting off to the trendiest hotspot to give the illusion that we’re totally winning at life.
As a citizen in the modern world, when I look around, I get a sense that success is just around the corner. I just need to scroll to that screen and swipe my credit card. I don’t even have to lift a finger, I just have to buy stuff.
Plainly, success has been packaged, streamlined, and made to look effortless. Everything is designed to make you feel that fulfillment is within reach – the ideal body, the fantasy job, the luxury lifestyle, etc. It’s all just one purchase, one course, one viral post away. That’s the illusion we’re sold every day.
The reality? We are a starving crowd.
We are vulnerable people hiding behind a high-status lifestyle, trying to find our voice in the ocean of sameness.
We want to be different. We try to be different. But we end up being different the same way as everyone else.
4. Recognize The Path Out of The Cave
What happens when you start to get a glimpse of the whole premise? When you start to notice the errors in our society? And more importantly, when you take active steps to escape the shackles of modern living?
Well, it kind of depends.
If you are surrounded by empathetic individuals who are also looking for ways to escape the modern cave, you will feel encouraged and motivated to continue your ascent.
But let’s get real. If you were really in the company of reasonable people, you wouldn’t worry about getting your ass out of the cave. You are already outside. You don’t even bother reading articles like this because you have shit figured out.
However, for most people, like me and (probably) you. We don’t have anyone in our immediate environment who recognizes how shitty reality actually is. Sure, everyone knows the government’s a mess, that rich people are trying to get richer, careless of the little people, and that laws can be manipulated if you have the right connections. What I’m talking about here is something else. I’m talking about people around you not realizing how…
- Social media is turning our brains into clay.
- Spending money weekly on things we don’t actually need, but desperately want, is digging a deep hole in our financial future.
- Drinking booze daily is wreaking havoc on both our minds and bodies.
When you bring these matters to the average person sitting next to you, he doesn’t only look at you funny. No, he goes to his place, packs his bags and drives 300 miles north from your current location. Not only does he want to stay away from you, he wants to completely forget about your existence.
When I finally quit smoking and drinking, I naively thought my friends would throw a non-alcoholic party and maybe even bake a vegan cake or something. Ahh, how wrong I was. When I delivered the news, they didn’t simply dismiss my achievement, but tried to drag me back to the tequila shot rounds.
I resisted, and they resisted back.
It seemed like the news about me no longer drinking didn’t register in their brains. Not only that they tried to get me to drink again, but were kind of annoyed when I refused.
Eventually, our paths kind of branched out.
You might think that I have shitty friends. But no, simply put, in our current age, if you are not drinking you are seen as this anti-social weirdo with a bunch of mental problems that no one could ever really love or stand.
As weird as it might sound, my self-improvement led to a social downgrade. I was free from the toxic patterns that had once defined my life, but I was also free from the social circle I had invested years in.
The truth is when you become aware of your flaws. And furthermore, the flaws of the people around you and the flaws of modern life. You also start to notice how the majority of the population doesn’t have a clue what’s corrupting their lives.
They kind of get the idea that life can be better, but they’d rather stick to the familiar chaos than face the discomfort of change.
Where does this leave you?
Alone.
The more your awareness expands, the more you realize just how deeply ingrained toxic behaviors are in the people around you. Through trial and error, you see that you can’t save them. You can only hope that your unconventional behavior – i.e., refusing to drink and smoke – might eventually be recognized as something worth mimicking.
5. Recognize All The Things That Will Try To Lure You Back
In the allegory of the cave, the person escaping the dungeon is portrayed as physically distancing himself from the poor lil souls stuck in the dark abyss.
In reality, you don’t go to another place. What happens is that your thinking shifts from being a complete idiot addicted to a bag of vices to a recovery addict trying to find your place in this gloomy world.
What I’m getting at is that you don’t magically end up in a serene paradise with singing birds and fountains. No, you are still in the same old place. It’s just that your mind is now sharp enough to recognize all the shitty ways you can shipwreck your life if you return to your old lifestyle stuffed with toxic habits and unreasonable decisions.
But does all this make you immune to reckless behavior?
Not at all.
You can still slip up and return to your previous levels of uncontrollable spending, gambling, drinking or other bad-boy habits.
At first glance, this looks strange. You now know the alternative way of living. You know how better life is without drugs, booze, junk-food or nicotine. So why would you willingly sabotage yourself and revert to this inferior lifestyle?
Simply put, because inertia is a nasty scumbag.
In theory, you know what you have to do. In practice, you simply don’t do it.
The reason? Well, if you’ve spent 10, 20, 30, or even 40 years living in a particular fashion, it’s tough to divert your being towards a better lifestyle and make that sustainable.
Modern existence is about quick wins, remember? Shifting from being a lazy couch potato is not just physically draining, but also mentally exhausting.
You not only have to daily convince yourself to get up and do healthy stuff. But you also have to do all of this in the company of an impatient crowd that doesn’t get it.
For instance, now, when you get your paycheck, you might invest a portion of it in some kind of asset. However, when others get their money, the first thing they do is to drink half of it while making fun of your (presently) boring lifestyle.
All of this pressure can crush even the most ambitious souls. Especially if you are fresh out of the underground dungeon of foolishness.
The is actually the reason quitting smoking and drinking took me a couple of years. Sure, I had problems with handling stress and resisting instant gratification. But the other part of the problem was related to the people surrounding me. Since all of my friends were hooked on cigarettes and the trendy nightlife, it was quite difficult to stand out of the crowd.
The more you build yourself up, the more reasons you’ll find to lower yourself down.
- You’ll get tired.
- Others will try to talk you out of your goals.
- The comfort of avoiding responsibility will seem like a cozy oasis when things get tough.
Plainly, getting outside of the cave doesn’t mean that you’ll stay there forever. You have to resist all the triggers trying to pull you back into the old – sure, comfortable, but ultimately devastating – way of living.
Some Closing Thoughts
If we want to escape the metaphorical cave presented by Plato, we must first understand it.
Being hopeful or thinking that someone will fix things for us will not do the trick.
The very first step is realizing that there is a cave. And, to add to that, recognize that many people don’t see it. This doesn’t immediately make you a lunatic escape from a medical facility. No, it simply points out that many aren’t particularly excited to find paths of salvation – which kind of includes questioning social norms and established beliefs.
Secondly, after we catch a glimpse of the sweet life outside the cave, we immediately must equip ourselves with the patience and resilience to bear all the misguided souls who are still living in error.
We might try to help these pesky humans out of pity or because it feels depressing to pursue an error-free life on our own. But that’s a classic mistake. Trying to educate people who actively resist education is the fastest way to turn them against you.
Third, and probably final, you must accept that there is never an ending toward the path laid out by Plato – the so-called pursue of the Idea of the Good.2
At some point, it might seem that you are no longer a prisoner. That you’ve obtained a suitcase of shiny values that can propel your now healthy ass towards the mythical gate of genius. But that’s hardly the case. Even Plato said that reaching the ultimate standard of living is unreachable. The point is to keep trying to reach it, even when you fully recognize that you will never quite get there.
Escape Triviality. Lean Towards Creativity
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Footnotes:
- Raafat, R.M., Chater, N. and Frith, C. (2009) ‘Herding in humans’, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13(10), pp. 420–428. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2009.08.002
- In The Republic, Plato describes the “Idea of the Good” (or Form of the Good) as the highest and most important form of knowledge. The Good is the ultimate reality, the source of all truth, knowledge, and being. It is often compared to the sun in the Allegory of the Cave, which illuminates and makes visible the objects of knowledge. Based on his ideas, getting closer to the Idea of the Good requires turning away from the world of appearances (the physical world) and focusing on abstract, eternal truths.
