Let me start off by saying this: I think that society today is more enlightened than ever and will probably continue to slowly become more enlightened, as some people continue to question the government and how it works. However, I believe that the majority of people today generally do not want to become enlightened. They are comfortable where they are at now and are too closed-minded to even think about changing their opinion. In other words, they choose to only look at one side of the argument.

In Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”, Plato argues that, “Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending” (5). If someone is shown only that becoming enlightened will hurt, then they will fear becoming enlightened, as they believe that enlightenment will only cause them pain and suffering. However, what they failed to see was the other side of the argument. On one side, you have the fact that enlightenment will be painful. While this is true, the other side of the argument is that enlightenment is a process that, while it may be painful in the beginning, will eventually lead to knowledge and happiness. If they had been more open-minded and choose to look at the other side, their decision might have been different.

However, once convinced that they should not be enlightened, convincing them otherwise is incredibly difficult. In Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave, Plato states that, “The power and capacity of learning exists in the soul already; and that just as the eye was unable to turn from darkness to light without the whole body, so too the instrument of knowledge can only by the movement of the whole soul be turned from the world of becoming into that of being” (6). The problem is that most unenlightened people are not open to the idea of being moved out of their comfort zone. They refuse to listen to those who are enlightened and instead choose to criticize and insult them.

Something that you could compare this attitude to is a child being introduced to a new kind of food. Let’s use a banana as an example. Based on looks alone, the child might assume that the banana will be disgusting. When someone who has had a banana before tells them that bananas are delicious and encourages the child to try it, the child will refuse to listen and instead throw a fit, the idea that they might actually like the banana never coming to mind.

While some people strive to become enlightened and choose to question everything around them, most people choose to stay comfortable and do what is easiest. However, I think that everyone should strive to be enlightened, or at least, again, look at both sides of the argument before making a decision. We need to be willing to suffer in order to not only know the truth but to better ourselves and our world.