Afraid to Leave the Inner Cave of Darkness?

all-we-imagine-as-light

All We Imagine As Light~ The movie that I watched recently, is about the struggle of three women and their own journey in dealing with it.

For a moment, I thought to put a brief background about the movie, its three protagonists, their struggle and how they come out of it. But that would take away the awe being experienced while watching the movie on screen.

So, this post is about a dialogue towards the end where the female protagonist, Prabha. She is having a hallucination of having a conversation with her husband who has left her long ago after their marriage. Her husband went to Germany, leaving her behind and she has been dealing with this emotional struggle since long and now, when she is imagining a stranger, whom she rescued, as her husband; she says to him.

‘ तुम इतने सालों में बहुत बदल गए हो ’

To which he replied.

" वहां कई दिन ऐसे होते थे,

जब मैं गोदाम में लंबे समय के लिए फंसा रह जाता था।

ना दिन का पता चलता था, ना रात का 

मैं तीन- चार दिन के बाद बाहर आता था,

और मुझे अजीब सा महसूस होता था।

मैं रौशनी से अंधिया जाता था, 

अँधेरे में तुम रौशनी की कल्पना करने की कोशिश करते हो 

पर नहीं कर पाते, 

उस वक़्त मैं तुम्हारे बारे में सोचता था। "

There are multiple scenes that was quite relatable, but this one left a lasting impression.

The reason I loved this dialogue because it reminded me of the Plato’s allegory of the cave.

Let me explain this in detail. It’s rather interesting and so so relatable to our day-to-day life.

Allegory means a story, a picture, a narrative to reveal a hidden meaning.

So, There is a book called Republic by Plato wherein this allegory of the cave is presented.

plato’s-allegory-of-the-cave

This is the picture that I picked up from google that would further refine the understanding.

Here, goes the entire story.

This is the cave where some prisoners are imprisoned since early age. They are chained in such a position where they can only see the shadows of the objects on the wall when people behind them walk around carrying some objects around the fire.

You are able to see in the image that prisoners are not able to see the men moving around the fire with objects in hand. The prisoners are chained facing the wall and can neither see one another or any one behind the wall. Only shadows forming on the wall are visible to them. When people who walked behind uttered sound, their echo gets reflected and the prisoners thought that the shadows alone are making those sounds.

The prisoners consider these shadows only as the reality. So, basically, for them, darkness is the truth and nothing beyond it is in existence.

Departure from the cave:-

In the dialogue, Socrates further present that if a prisoner is freed and presented to the other side of the wall, where the fire is burning and objects are moving around, that light would hurt his eyes and he would try to come back to his original state.

But somehow, the prisoner is forced and dragged to come outside the cave into the light of the sun. Initially, it would hurt him but then slowly and steadily, his eyes would adjust to the light, to the people around, the beauty of nature around him.

And that would be the beginning of his life where he could move on, question everything, fueled by curiosity under the light of the sun, under the light of the Truth.

As if one has simply got a new life, coming to know of something Real. That real must be magical because one has freed oneself from the chains of ignorance and illusions.

Return to the Cave:-

The story further goes on to say that this freed person who is now no longer a prisoner would return back to cave in order to spread this to the people who are imprisoned by illusions and consider these shadows as reality.

However, it’s not that easy to convey those prisoners. That’s the pain of the freed person because no matter, how much he tries, the prisoners in the cave are just not ready to accept to come outside the cave and of their ignorance.

Take away and how this relates to this dialogue:-

I think those prisoners are representing no one but us, our deep ignorance which we bear in the form of our tendencies like fear, overthinking, anxiety, emotional breakdown and what not.

And we are so chained into these tendencies that they become the living reality, day-to-day reality for all of us. That’s so so relatable for me.

And when this movie:- As We Imagine as Light, towards the end come with this dialogue :-

“ मैं रौशनी से अंधिया जाता था।

अँधेरे में तुम रौशनी की कल्पना करने की कोशिश करते हो

पर नहीं कर पाते।”

I could only think of this Allegory of the Cave.

Infact, here with this scene only the movie’s title also got connected.

And i think, this movie is for all those who are struggling within but not able to express openly. For lack of companionship, the hidden fear within, the tiredness and the failures one meets, the coming back of memories, the longing for the lost love (though, love is never lost but it’s easier said because we are anyway the prisoner of the cave and never witness the inner light).

You will absolutely like the way the three protagonists Prabha, Anu and Parvati moved on in their life, dealing with their struggles outside and inside.

The question that I ask myself, ‘Shall I ever be able to conquer my inner tendencies, vulnerabilities and constant struggle in dealing with them?’

Well, I don’t know, but certainly, I wouldn’t want to be imprisoned in my dark cave within. I know that I am utterly loveless being and loving alone is so tough because it demands price to be paid.

And, it’s one in a thousand, who pays that price because he knows, what it is to love.

How about you?

The movie starts with the struggling stories revolving around common man. I wonder about this word ‘common man’, how very familiar. Struggles for job, for home, for basic sustenance. Spending decades in a place and still it feels far-far away from home.

Oh! Home. Isn’t this word means a lot to you?

And moreover, the inner struggles of longing, attachment, the same repetitive pattern. You are deeply bored inside, yet you continue in the cycle. Why? 

Because the art of breaking the cycle is unknown.

Even watching movies is such a privilege if seen from the eyes of those crowd who are just running and running. Running where? To what place?

They all become stories, stories taking the form of art, lessons that evoke empathy, offering insights for the wider audience. 

Well, these struggles may be struggles in our eyes, but they are living reality for the people out there.

Is there a way out to break this chain of illusion?

Yes- the call for inner light and I feel that light is Vedanta. The art to break this cycle. 

The only question is, ‘Will you let this Light to dispel your darkness, or you are okay to breathe in closed doors and windows?’

Note- The story is also published on linkedin and medium profile.