“Who put us in chains?”

It’s how we start out. I compare the question to “Who made a 6 month old baby so ignorant?”

“Are we capable of getting out of them?”

Yes.

“Do we want to get out of them?”

In our heart of hearts, yes.

At any given moment, “no.”

It takes time, but others can help us. With the interventions of others, we can go much faster.

“Are we the only thing keeping the chains on?”

No; It takes work. It can be hard.

“And once we have the chains off, what is the use, considering everyone else still has their chains off?”

Utility is defined by where you are at. “The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite.” — On Children.

“Do you hope it starts a chain reaction, whereby everyone becomes enlightened?”

We can hope, but we most also be realistic. The transformation of consciousness has taken a long time coming to the present, and it will likely continue forever more.

Countless civilizations form, countless civilizations crumble. We are bored of being born, we are bored of being reborn. And yet we must continue on for the high summit; Emptiness terminates with an eye; There is nowhere aught but the worlds of higher forms, in accordance with the heart. Anything else is literally suicide.

“What if no one else removes their chains in pursuit of enlightenment… are you still enlightened?”

No one is accountable to other individuals; Individuals are accountable to the heart within the heart within the heart — to the feather of truth by which our souls are weighed.

It is the heart where we must measure.

“I’d like to think we’re in control of whether we remove the chains or not.”

We can apply our efforts where we can imagine to apply them. But we can only apply our efforts where we can imagine to apply them.

“Also, why would we make shadow-puppets when we realize there’s a better world out there?”

I am not clear what he meant, but if I may guess: If someone can only communicate in shadow, then shadow is the only language we can speak with them with.

“I’m motivated, by some degree, by personal pride. I’m largely motivated, however, by public wealth and status.”

It is right that you recognize your limitations; But the soul can always find a lever. All of life is amplification.

By manipulations, we can satisfy the animal hungers of pride and status, and by our manipulations, we can quiet the beast. But there is no real happiness here; Our mind sees what we are doing, and we have lost time (life) if this is what we are doing.

George: Control of reality, but in service of what? Divine imagination is all I can see; We are a thread between two worlds that long for each other.

“My question is, where lies the real world, in or out?”

The spiral forever goes inward towards zero, reaching no terminus, and the spiral goes outward, filling all of space. Both are real.

I agree with this idea in general, because as a somewhat education person myself, I feel that I understand the world better than I did before I received my education. However, as usual, I get tripped up on the dirty details. And of course, I’m only writing this comment in an attempt to learn more about this. I’m pretty interested to see how these other caves work…but I can’t imagine there being anymore than 1 cave.

I feel like the most critical part of the story is not about the cave, fire, or reflections, but the chains. This elicits a number of questions. Who put us in chains? Are we capable of getting out of them? Do we want to get out of them? Are we the only thing keeping the chains on? And once we have the chains off, what is the use, considering everyone else still has their chains off? Do you hope it starts a chain reaction, whereby everyone becomes enlightened? What if no one else removes their chains in pursuit of enlightenment… are you still enlightened? I’d like to think we’re in control of whether we remove the chains or not.

Also, why would we make shadow-puppets when we realize there’s a better world out there? Ultimately, it’s the possibilities presented by the outside world that determine our actions. I’m motivated, by some degree, by personal pride. I’m largely motivated, however, by public wealth and status. I feel like I’m making circular, non-sensical arguments… I’m going to quit. I’ll remain chained.

Love you
Dad

As you know Plato’s Allergory of the Cave is one I reference often. I look forward to reading more of these entries. Thanks for sharing this with the world. It’s important for us all to remember that the concepts a change and resistance are not unique to our current position. Plato’s Cave and your last entry of the Imaginal Cells echo the same theme: old paradigm’s are often unwelcoming of the introduction of the new. In fact, many will go so far as to try to kill it.

Lewis