A True Story About an Allegory

Hello,

If you ask me to tell you what book changed my life, one that stands out is The Republic by Plato. While you may not have read the book, you’ve probably heard of “The Allegory of the Cave.” Allegories are narratives that symbolize deeper truths using characters, places, or events to reveal moral or political meaning.

In Plato’s allegory, people are chained to a cave wall, able only to see shadows cast before them. To them, these shadows are reality. When one prisoner escapes and sees the world outside—the sun, the trees, the colors—at first it seems unbelievable, even frightening. But eventually, the freed prisoner comes to understand the truth. Returning to the cave to share this new knowledge, however, the freed prisoner is dismissed as delusional. Shadows, after all, are all the others have ever known.

Here is a short video that explains “The Allegory of the Cave,” if you’re interested in an even more thorough explanation and the impact this concept has had over the past two millennium.

I was reminded of this allegory during a recent conversation with a friend. We met through work years ago and stayed connected even after I left that environment. My friend described how one group in their workplace had deliberately acted against another. My friend’s group was on the receiving end and said with a mix of disappointment and resignation, “I realized this will always be the way they treat people like us.”

That statement revealed a belief that these groups were destined to be adversaries, predators and prey. The system itself had been built to reinforce this “us versus them” dynamic.

Yet when I left that workplace, I experienced something different. I saw the same categories of people working together in healthier ways. Instead of “us versus them,” the dynamic was “we’re in this together.” Instead of predator and prey, it was mutualism: I’ve got you, you’ve got me, we’ve got we.

At that moment, with my friend sitting across from me at dinner, I felt like the freed prisoner. I had seen another reality. To their credit, my friend didn’t dismiss me outright, but they did respond with suspicion: If that’s possible, why is my workplace still chained to the shadows?

Good question. I’m no expert, but I think the answer lies in context. If theory is on one end of a spectrum and practice on the other, context is the fulcrum that determines where the balance tips. In theory, colleagues should be allies. In practice, they aren’t always. Context, shaped by leadership, accountability, and what gets rewarded, tilts the fulcrum one way or the other.

Recognizing context is like realizing the shadows are not the whole story. At first, it’s unsettling. Shadows feel real when that’s all you’ve known. But once you see the difference, you begin to recognize the distortions more easily. So, how do we tilt the fulcrum toward light rather than shadows? It can mean challenging assumptions that set people against one another, rewarding collaboration instead of competition, holding people accountable not only for results but also for how they achieve them, and modeling trust and transparency so others feel safe to step into the light. Becoming unchained isn’t simple. Sometimes the hardest part isn’t the shadows themselves but the comfort we’ve built around them. Still, once you’ve glimpsed what’s possible beyond the cave, it’s hard to go back to believing the cave is all there is.

In the end, what matters is not just whether we recognize the shadows, but whether we’re willing to step into the light. Allegories remind us that truth often hides beneath the surface of what feels familiar. Like the freed prisoner, each of us has the chance to challenge the limits of our context, see what lies beyond, and help others imagine that a different reality is possible.

~Heather

P.S. This summer, I went to NYC with my sister. Hard to believe, but it was only my second time visiting the City. While we were there, we saw several shows, including Oh, Mary! It was completely inappropriate and absolutely hilarious! Even though we were in the very last row of the balcony and the tickets cost me an arm and a leg, I’d see it again in a heartbeat…though next time, I’ll save some money.

How? By using a trick that my sister picked up on social media, my Catch of the Week. It scored us better seats at a fraction of the cost. The secret? Just go to the box office the day of the show and ask for “rush tickets.” It’s that easy!

You’ll need to be flexible about the showtime and your seat location, but if you are, you can snag amazing seats to incredible shows for unbeatable prices. It worked for us—we got to see The Great Gatsby and & Juliet—for less than what I would have paid to see them locally on tour, and that’s why this Catch of the Week deserves a round of applause!

P.P.S. Please remember to...

Like and share this post

Check out other posts 

Subscribe to www.lyonsletters.com

Buy and rate your copy of Engagement is Not Unicorn (It's a Narwhal), 

The BIG Book of Engagement Strategies, & 50 Ways to Engage Students with Google Apps

From Amazon or Barnes & Noble