PLATO'S CAVE - Part I
The World of shadows
The Allegory of the Cave, also known as the Parable of the Cave, was written by the Greek philosopher Plato in his work The Republic. In the parable, Plato describes prisoners who have lived in a cave since childhood. They are chained so that they can only look at a wall where shadows of objects are projected. Sounds from outside echo off the cave's walls, making it seem as if the shadows have voices. Thus, the prisoners believe that these shadows are reality. On this beach, where two old boats lie stranded and slowly dying on the sand, there is also Plato's Cave.
Plato's Cave
Part I: The World of Shadows
The Allegory of the Cave, also known as the Parable of the Cave, was written by the Greek philosopher Plato in his work The Republic. In the parable, Plato describes prisoners who have lived in a cave since childhood. They are chained so that they can only look at a wall where shadows of objects are projected. Sounds from outside echo off the cave's walls, making it seem as if the shadows have voices. Thus, the prisoners believe that these shadows are reality. In this dark world, shadows represent the physical realm of appearances, opinions, illusions, and limited knowledge acquired through the senses. This knowledge is confused with true reality. Shadows are imperfect copies of real objects. Prisoners mistake them for reality because they know nothing else. This symbolizes attachment to common sense.
On this beach, where two old boats lie stranded and slowly dying on the sand, there is also Plato's Cave. Inside, a group of prisoners have an imperfect perception of reality because they know nothing else. Every day, five young men work in the dark, damp holds of ships. They use basic tools to tear out insulating foam and wooden planks so that the ships can be dismantled with blowtorches. For two weeks, they are stuck in the bowels of these iron monsters, where the strong smell of naphtha mixes with the thick, suffocating heat. They receive a measly $130 for this work, which they must share among themselves.
Sometimes, as if answering a metaphysical call, they emerge from the dark bowels of the boats to drink a white liquid stored in small plastic bags. It is kissangua, an alcoholic beverage made from fermented cassava flour, which they purchase from women who occasionally visit the beach to sell it to fishermen. They poke a small hole in the bag with their teeth and sip the precious liquid in silence, as if contemplating Plato's shadow world. The kissangua tricks them of their hunger and restores some of their energy, even if only for a few moments. It may be the only glimpse of the real world that they can bring into their world, the world of sensations.
They don't smile, talk, or play. Their gaze seems lost in the void, conveying disappointment and sadness. It's as if they've been chained in a sunless, joyless world since childhood. Perhaps they have given up trying to break free from the chains binding them to the cave walls. Unlike Plato's prisoners, however, they know there is a perfect world made of light, not shadows; they just don't know how to get there.
The only hope that makes them dive back into the dark bowels of these iron monsters every day is knowing that each of them will take home $26 when they finish scraping the walls of this obscure world. They don't know it yet, but this paltry sum will quickly vanish as if it were just another shadow of the real world. The cave will claim them again. After all, they are prisoners in Plato's cave.
