I struggled a little bit with this story, but I think I got the basic idea that my mentor was hoping I would get out of it. I began by doing a little bit of research on the allegory. I read about the themes and the plot. Jonathan suggested that I read 2 different translations and I did. I got a little way into one version and was having a hard time staying focused. I found an audio and listened a read simultaneously. That was a big help. Then I read a second translation. What would it be like to actually read Plato in the original?
The story is a discussion between Plato's teacher Socrates and Plato's brother Glaucon. Socrates tells of people who are living in a cave. The only direction they can look is forward and all they see are shadows. The people in the cave think the shadows are real. Then one of the people is forced to leave the cave and go into the light. Adjusting to the light is difficult and painful. He sees shadows, then reflections, then the real objects. He comes to realize that the shadows he thought were real are not and he must go back into the darkness of the cave and tell the others what he has learned. Socrates and Glaucon compare this journey from the cave to education. Socrates says there are four stages of education: imagination, belief, thought, and understanding. Someone in the first 2 stages can only give examples. In the 3rd stage they can understand all the parts of the definition and in the 4th stage they can defend what they know based on principle. They go on to discuss different types of education and what type of education a leader needs. Socrates believes that math and science are the only ways to get the right type of education. But, to me, all that was beside the point. The point I got out of the allegory was our duty to help others see the light.
For the next few days I studied light and darkness in my scriptures. I came the conclusion that light gives understanding; removes people from ignorance; is a knowledge of right and wrong; and changes wickedness to righteous. Darkness is symbolic of spiritual blindness or ignorance; of death; and of separation from God. It is also temporal ignorance. I also found several scriptures that said to me that when I have learned I need to go and teach others; that I need to "give light to those that sit in darkness" (Luke 1:79).
The question now is how do I share what I've learned? How do I help others? How do I bring them to the light?
Great post!
ReplyDeleteIn some ways you already have - by sharing with others what you have learned. You have a lot of different hats that you wear & in every case you are willing to share with others: homeschooling, church, personal education, health & wellness, etc.