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Hey friends,

There are rows of people sitting in the dark, their arms in chains, facing the wall of a cave. Behind them is a fire. They see dancing shapes throw shadows onto the stone. The shadows are all they have ever known; they have names and stories. The shadows are what they call the world.

This is the beginning of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, a story over a thousand years old. For anyone trying to build something they believe in, it is a tale that may carry something for you. What I like about these old stories is that they teach you how to endure hardship, how to be brave, or how to find peace. But this is my adaptation, and it has a twist at the end.

It starts in the depths of a cave, where things are dark and cold.

Within the lines of people, all chained together, mysteriously, a girl gets loose. Her wrists are free, and she wrings her hands along her arms to make sure. She rubs her eyes and starts to look around to see everyone else fixated upon the shadows on the wall. She looks at them; she knows these people, she knows the shadows. But today, something is different; her wrists are free.

At the back of the cave, from a distant corner, sparkles a small white light, a reflection glittering in a puddle.

“I wonder what that is?” she asks herself as she gets to her knees.

Curiously, she follows it. She realises that it is coming from the end of a tunnel that heads upwards. Following it, she scrambles over rocks and climbs over boulders.

Eventually, a bright new smell washes her senses, a freshness, a crispness, a richness, as if she is eating new air.

Eagerly, she runs towards the light as it grows brighter and brighter. Until eventually, she can’t.

The light is so bright that it is agony to look at. Her eyes stream with pain and tears roll down her face. Thoughts rise of the fire that she left and the people she knows. In fear, she walks back into the shadows, but she stops; it doesn’t feel right. In her heart, something else is pushing her upwards. For a while, she walks up and down, never leaving, never returning.

Eventually, her eyes start to adjust. As she begins to see more clearly, she becomes braver and walks to the edge of the cave. For the first time in her life, she’s able to see things as they actually are. Wonder and awe overcome her as she sees depth, colour, and shapes beyond comprehension. Instantly, she thinks of the people from where she came and how limited their world is. She remembers sitting in that same row, watching that same wall, certain that those shadows were the whole world.

“I must tell the others about this incredible place. Wow, just look at it! It’s miraculous!” she says to herself.

Excitedly, she starts to clamber back down into the depths, descending over rocks and stones. But her eyesight is now different, and she can’t make out the shapes in the dark. As she reaches the fire, she stumbles and kicks a rock.

“Hey, stop being so clumsy!” a man shouts.

As she walks towards the wall, her eyes improve, and the people are exactly where she left them, fixated on the dancing shadows. A realisation dawns on her that no one knows she has left, let alone returned.

“Hey! Everyone!” she exclaims.

Only one person grunts a reply, and another waves her away; the rest are still entrapped by the shadows.

Determined, she walks between the lines of people and the wall. She waves around and shouts excitedly, “Everyone! Listen to me, there is a wonderful place outside of this cave that is rich and beautiful! You don’t need these shadows when there’s a whole world out there!”

Furiously, a couple of men rage at her for disturbing the shadows. “Out the way!” one demands, “You’re blocking the wall!” shouts another. One man scowls at her, “How dare she keep on? We must get rid of her,” he thinks.

But most of the people aren’t cruel. One elderly woman utters, “darling, best get back in line,” and another says, “this is the way we have always been.”

“But look behind you, there is a fire and these are just shadows!” the girl insists.

“How dare you!” an elderly man exclaims, viciously cursing, “Get in line or be gone!”

She looks around and knows that she no longer belongs. Confused, she turns, leaving them to their shadows. She then walks and thinks, and then thinks and walks. “How could this be? How could they reject a new world of wonder?” She reaches the rocks again and begins to scramble, “I just simply don’t understand. There is a fire, and the shadows are all an illusion. What’s so special?”

At the entrance of the cave, she momentarily looks back, but thrusts herself out into the glaring light and warmth. Instantly, she realises that she doesn’t know where she is or what to do. She senses herself as somewhat naked, almost useless, and for the first time in her life, she notices a painful fear of loneliness. “What do I do?” she thinks to herself.

“There is no other choice but to go on.”

And as she puts one foot forward, an old-bearded man appears beside her.

“They may have appeared like fools, dear, and they may seem cruel. The thing is, they’re comfortable in their world, and a comfort zone is the oldest anaesthetic humans have. A lot of people will fight and even die to stay there.

I see that you care for them a lot. But remember, before you escaped, how comfortable you were for a while?”

“But I love them, how do I help them?” she asks.

“In the light, do you see the world clearly? Do you see me clearly?”

She nods.

“Can you see them clearly? Can you see yourself clearly?”

“Are you saying that I can see the whole situation for what it is, and at the same time still find love for them?”

The old man places a hand on her shoulder, “very good.”

“I think you’ll be just fine,” he says, nodding his head.

As he walks forward, he continues, “Be strong. I like your spark. You have wisdom, bravery, and curiosity. Those are such wonderful gifts. You’ll need them going forwards.”

“But sir, how do you know all of this?” she asks eagerly.

He smiles an old smile.

“Leaving the cave isn’t a one-time journey; once you’re free, you turn right back around and help someone else. But the thing is, the first time I went down, I spoke to all, and was laughed at. The second time, again, I spoke to all, and they physically beat me. The third time, however, I waited, and my presence was enough so that instead of staring at the shadows, a girl looked at me.”

“I think I am going to sit in the sun for a bit,” he says softly, walking on.

As I write this, I have been thinking about all the people that I know who walked out of their comfort zones to make something true for themselves. I deeply respect the bravery, the curiosity, and the way they tend to handle the loneliness of it. You’re not as alone as it may feel. I appreciate how many times some of you have walked back down, but you also come up again, you know the light and how the world could be if others saw it too.

Warmly,

Rob

P.S. It’s June here in Cornwall. The hedgerows have gone wild and green, the foxgloves are tall along the lanes, and Sunday was summer solstice. We were up at 4 am and caught the sunrise over Mevagissey. I wanted to share it with you all.

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