Fear and Change

When considering why change is so difficult, it might be useful to keep Plato’s Allegory of the Cave in mind.

In this story, the cave’s inhabitants were chained to a log with a fire at their backs and a bare rock wall in front of them. All they were able to perceive beyond the darkness were their own shadows cast onto the wall by the firelight, and over time they came to accept the shadow world as a limit of reality.

One day, one of the cave dwellers had an inspiration. He began to imagine that there was more to life than he had been led to believe, and by simply turning his gaze rearward, his inspiration was rewarded with a panoramic view of a broad, lush, light-filled plain that stretched from the cave opening to the far horizon. He was ecstatic at his discovery.

However, when he tried to tell the others what he had seen, he was immediately set upon and killed. Clearly, no one else wanted to deal with the threat that his inspiration represented to the group’s fundamental beliefs. And after the execution, anyone who might have been inclined to imagine an alternative to the shadow reality must have thought seriously about keeping his eyes forward.

What the work of this philosopher offers us is a reflection on the power of what we have been taught and the effect of all the beliefs and practices that represent the consciousness status quo on our movement toward higher consciousness.  

Uncovering hidden influences on our perception of reality takes the gentle persistence of a regular practice of self observation and a willingness to do what Buddha prescribed, which is to doubt everything.