Ever heard of the philosophical metaphor of Plato’s cave? Are we trapped in Plato’s cave? The truth is unless you explore your own curiosity you never know.
A group of people are chained to the inside of a cave. They were born in the cave and their only interpretation of reality are the shadows that the fire casts along the wall. They are unaware of what is outside the cave. One man escapes and exits the cave. He now has a truer interpretation of reality and realises that the shadows are not the entirety of reality. On returning to the cave the freed prisoner tries to explain to his friends that the shadows are fake and not true reality. However because this is all they have ever known they do not believe the freed man and instead continue to live their life in chains…
This is compatible to the following phrases
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“I have joint pain, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol but this is old age…”
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“Yes I’m stressed out of my mind and struggle with negative automatic thoughts, depression and anxiety but that’s just me…”
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“Yes I’m always on my phone but it’s 2020 and everyone is addicted!”
All of which are caves we may find ourselves in. Disfactual statements that are common in the cave of the UK but do not dictate our lives
This was the intro to my “Pain, Smoothies and the Brain” talk with 30+ Gravesham Council County talk. So what do you think? What form of Plato’s cave have you found yourself in?