Plato's Allegory of the Cave

[Kgal]

[MENTION=2578]K-gal[/MENTION];
I really like this. The challenge it would seem is to be continually aware of what exists within the depths as opposed to reacting to surface events. Guess that's where meditation comes in huh?

:lol:

Hah! ...ooooo....you're sharpening those smart ass skills really good now.

 

[Norwich]

[MENTION=2578]K-gal[/MENTION];

:lol:

Hah! ...ooooo....you're sharpening those smart ass skills really good now.

Huh? We need a little smiley that indicates when something has gone over someones head. That went way over mine. I was being totally serious. Of course maybe because I was stating something so obvious, it came across as though I was being a smart ass. Really though, I liked the analogy and my comment reflects an important concept that I felt it illustrated.
Sorry if I'm being slow today...........maybe I need to drink some more coffee.

 

[Kgal]

[MENTION=2578]K-gal[/MENTION];
Huh? We need a little smiley that indicates when something has gone over someones head. That went way over mine. I was being totally serious. Of course maybe because I was stating something so obvious, it came across as though I was being a smart ass. Really though, I liked the analogy and my comment reflects an important concept that I felt it illustrated.
Sorry if I'm being slow today...........maybe I need to drink some more coffee.

My apology for being a smart ass today...

Yes - you're very right. Practicing insight meditation helps one notice the rise and fall of the emotions/thoughts and realize over time the never ending cease of them. No matter how hard I grasped onto being happy - I noticed something always came along to take that feeling away and eventually the sadness emotion swept in. With practice I learned to let go of grasping on to the happy feeling and to stop pushing away the sad feelings. It becomes easier and easier to get to the deep calm center.

Guess I better go get some more coffee too so I can drink with you. :tea:

 

[7ennis]

I've made a while ago an website. Plato's Cave is one of the aspects in it. It's very very basic though

Dunno of you call this spam. In that case my apologies http://emergentie.webs.com

Peace!

 

[Feelings]

We here want to understand the causality of our place in the universe, and how the cosmos came into being, by coming up with many theories and systems of beliefs that make up for our lack of understanding. We don't like uncertainty, so that's why we point fingers and rely on old scriptures to take out that ambiguity that will never be explained to you if you, yourself, don't take the leap into the larger reality, and see it for yourself. Belief doesn't convey knowledge, experience does.

I read somewhere that a student asked his science professor whether God existed, and how the universe began. His professor berated him, and said "What a stupid question. That is where science stops and religion begins".

 

[GracieRuth]

I say, let's bend the arms of a bunch of Psych 100 students and get them to volunteer to be chained down in a cave, and we'll find out if Plato was right.

J/K I love that story too.

 

[Feelings]

I'm not going to niggle on the point about being compelled to enlighten others. I don't think that's true, and that's not the central message I'm taking away from the passage anyways.

What was profound to me, was Plato's explanation for why the ignorant misunderstand, and even vilify, the enlightened. I think he's being non-judgemental and understanding as well. Here's the summary explanation from my study notes:

Like the prisoners chained in the cave, what we are allowed to see and how we understand it is deeply affected by our families, communities and cultures. Considered positively, we think of these influences as the guidance and wisdom of our parents and community; we often embrace much of what they taught us as our values. However, considered critically, these values and traditions may be rigid and difficult to challenge.

Consider something your family is strongly opposed to, that other families and communities nonetheless embrace. Examples may include sexual orientation, same-sex marriage, religion, party politics or public policy. Now, assume you wished to embrace a choice that was distinctly at odds with the values of your family. Further, assume that you have good reasons for this choice, and assume that you honestly believe this approach is better than your family