The Allegory Of The Cave By St. Francis Of Assisi
Prisoner or Liberator St. Francis of Assisi in centuries past, wrote the analogy, “A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows”. In earlier centuries still, Plato used shadows and the sun as analogous examples in his writings from The Republic: “Allegory of the Cave”. Using a conversation between Socrates and his pupil, Glaucon, Plato leads us vividly into his view of life by representing individuals as prisoners, deep within a cave, kept shackled in such a way they cannot look or see in any direction but straight in front of them. He enables the reader to envision in the mind’s eye what takes place, as the prisoners only view are the shadows created upon the wall in front of them and the voices that echo from behind them are the
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Now we begin to see the beliefs we held as children may have only been shadows. Possibly, we had not fully understood what we were witnessing or hearing or, we had not been clearly told or shown. As our minds grow, our ability to reason and process grows also. We are then freed from our bondage of “shadow” understanding and for many of us, our eyes are now seeing in the light what we did not perceive in shadow. Plato aptly portrays the transition from the shadow life, and sometimes, depending on what is understood or believed it can be a painful journey of the mind to take in what was not fully seen. Initially returning to what is known and the momentary comfort in it (Plato 1). As we leave our childhoods behind us, we are all somewhere along the path of the freed prisoner with eyes growing accustomed to the …show more content…
Plato stated how those well taught are now able to see from both angles, remembering what it was like to see the shadows, but knowing the light, they can then see “ten thousand times better” than those in the cave (Plato 5). As we gain knowledge and understanding, we are then able to share with others what we have learned and understand. It can be a pleasure to witness someone who has been given deep understanding in a matter and is then gifted with teaching and instructing it to others. Those who were instructed now become the “instructors”. A joy to behold. They have become those who perceived the “good” heading back into the
Now we begin to see the beliefs we held as children may have only been shadows. Possibly, we had not fully understood what we were witnessing or hearing or, we had not been clearly told or shown. As our minds grow, our ability to reason and process grows also. We are then freed from our bondage of “shadow” understanding and for many of us, our eyes are now seeing in the light what we did not perceive in shadow. Plato aptly portrays the transition from the shadow life, and sometimes, depending on what is understood or believed it can be a painful journey of the mind to take in what was not fully seen. Initially returning to what is known and the momentary comfort in it (Plato 1). As we leave our childhoods behind us, we are all somewhere along the path of the freed prisoner with eyes growing accustomed to the …show more content…
Plato stated how those well taught are now able to see from both angles, remembering what it was like to see the shadows, but knowing the light, they can then see “ten thousand times better” than those in the cave (Plato 5). As we gain knowledge and understanding, we are then able to share with others what we have learned and understand. It can be a pleasure to witness someone who has been given deep understanding in a matter and is then gifted with teaching and instructing it to others. Those who were instructed now become the “instructors”. A joy to behold. They have become those who perceived the “good” heading back into the