It is natural for human beings to go into a self-preservation mode when they believe their life is in danger, whether it be physically or emotionally. We protect ourselves from physical external danger in order for continual life and survival. We emotionally guard ourselves usually after we have been emotionally damaged in the past from a broken heart, hurt from a family member from friends, most of the time from the people we love or care about. These are natural actions & reactions that occurs without intent.
But what I find interesting is the way we go into this self-preservation mode mentally & psychologically. Out of all these self-preservation modes, protecting the mental & psychological self seems to be the only one we will intentionally immerse ourselves into when we are faced with a reality that contradicts the way we were raised. We intentionally ignore proven facts & truth because it may go against what we've been conditioned to learn our entire lives.
The interesting part of this is that if we knew someone who grew up next to us our entire lives, whether it be a brother, sister, cousin, or friend and you both are spoon fed the same stories as a child, but this person decides to go against status quo and venture outside the realm of what you've learned, then this person returns to inform you and everyone else that what you've learned is not reality. This person is ostracized or villified. He/she is accused of being uppity, evil, or not real anymore. And can be threatened with death.
For some of my readers you may already be familiar with "Allegory of the Cave" by the Greek Philospher Plato. But for those of you who are not, I strongly encourage you to continue to read this blog because I will attempt to give you a synopsis of the story.
Allegory of the Cave is a story told by Plato in his work "The Republic" to illustrate our nature in its education and want of an education. It is written as a fictional dialogue between Plato's teacher Socrates and Platos brother Glaucon.
INSIDE THE CAVE
Socrates describes a group of people who have lived chained to the wall of a cave all of their lives. they are facing a blank wall, the people watch shadows projected on the wall by things passing in front of a fire behind them, and begin to personify these shadows. He asks Glaucon to imagine a cave inhabited by people who have been chained and held there since childhood: not only are their arms and legs held in place, but their heads are also fixed, they have no choice but to stare at a wall in front of them. Behind these people is a blazing fire, and between the fire and the people is a walkway, on this walkway people are walking carrying things on their head. These are figures of men and animals made of wood, brick and other materials". The people watch the shadows cast by the men, not knowing they are shadows. There are also echoes off the wall from the noise produced from the walkway.
Socrates suggests the people would believe the shadows to be real things and the echoes to be real sounds, not just reflections of reality, since they are all they had ever seen or heard. After a while they would begin to give praise to the persons who could guess which shadow would come next, as someone who understood the nature of the world, and the whole of their society would depend on the shadows on the wall.
RELEASED FROM THE CAVE
Socrates then says lets suppose one of these people are freed from the shackles and allowed to stand up. Then someone shows this person the figure that were actually casting the figures on the wall. This person will not recognize them or name them and will still continue to believe the shadows on the wall is more real than what he sees with his own eyes.
Say he is then instructed to look at the fire, wouldn't he be almost struck with blindness and through self-preservation try to revert back to looking at the shadows, because that is his reality. He is then forced out of the cave. He will kick and scream and fight initially. Once he is completely out the cave he will be disoriented, the light will be to bright for his ees that is accustomed to darkness. But after some time, his eyes will aclimate to the light. He will then realize that it is the Sun that is responsible for the changing of the seasons, it is the source of life, it gives them light to see all that they survey outside the cave.
RETURN TO THE CAVE
This person has now returned to the cave. Socrates then asks Glaucon to think about the condition of this man. He would remember his first home and what passed for knowledge and wisdom there, he would remember his family and friends. He would then consider himself wiser, learned & happier and consider them unlearned and in darkness. He would begin to develope a distaste for the things they honor and praise, and the gifts they were awarded for who guessed best which shadows followed which. Also, when he returned he would be terrible at the game he once use to play, because he is no longer in darkness. The people would actually tell him he went up and came back corrupted, he no longer know where he comes from. And in their opinion it's not even worth them to try and go up. They'd rather stay where they are in their own reality. And if they were somehow able to get their hands on and kill the man who attempts to release and lead them up, they would do it.
MORAL OF THE STORY
We as a people not only black people but people as a whole are comfortable with our ignorance. We feel safe where we are because it is our comfort zone. Anyone who is exposed to the light and cmes back to teach us, lead us and guide us will be considered the enemy. I say it is time for us to come into the light. This story can apply to so many facids of our lives. Whether its "The Hood Keep it Real" mentality "Our spiritual & religious beliefs" our idea on "Community Upliftment and Family". What do you think? Until next time .......Peace
