BEFORE TRUTH: A Reflection Paper

A reflection paper about Plato's Allegory of the Cave

The search for truth started because something inside us was opened. The Allegory of the Cave of Plato, it is the real deal for me in this week’s discussion. In this Plato’s story, there was a group of people who had a belief that the truth only lies on the shadows of the cave where they are staying at. But there’s this one man from the said group of people who escaped their belief and started to find the exit of that cave. As he found the exit, he also found the real truth, not the truth from his past belief, and after he witnessed the truth outside the cave, he went to the other persons to save them. But as I analyse the story, I did not met my contentment because of one question. “How did he escaped their belief, the belief that he used to be living in accordance?”

On that eye-opening story of Plato, the Allegory of the Cave, I discovered, observed rather, the reason why man started to search for truth. I discovered the reason why I started to search for truth. “Curiosity”, this is my observed reason of how the man on the story escaped their belief. Something inside that man was opened, particularly his curiosity, and made him search for the truth. Just like now on my present situation, I consider myself as a curious person, simply because I searched for the truth. I became curious of what will happen if I free myself from my relationship and I think because of that curiosity of mine, I found the truth I am looking for and that truth made me happy. Maybe, I got out of the cave leaving someone, but I found the truth and I try to make her get out, too, for her to realize that the world is too wide for us to imprison ourselves in that relationship and I sincerely wish that she’ll get out, too, to make her feel what I am feeling today.

In the past, I was imprisoned because of my own fault. I got locked up inside a cave that made me close my eyes from the real truth. But I thank my curiosity, because if that curiosity was not opened I might be still inside that cave denying all the opportunities waiting for me. Truth is what made me happy and curiosity is what made me look for truth. Therefore, “before truth”, curiosity first.