Addiction In Plato's The Allegory Of The Cave

It is hard to admit when a fun distraction turns into an addiction. A game like Candy Crush may seem harmless, but its underlying lure is no different from heroin or alcohol. Cells in the addict’s brain become reliant on the “high” they get from their fixation, and relations with friends and family no longer give them pleasure. Addicts are controlled by their cravings, and satisfying those cravings dominates all aspects of their life. To those who are not addicted, quitting seems straightforward, but an addict, on the other hand, cannot find their way out. Addiction traps people in darkness. Breaking free of that addiction is essential to living a balanced life.
Because addiction takes many forms, defining addiction is crucial to the understanding …show more content…
The Allegory depicts prisoners trapped in a cave who have only ever seen the shadows of images. These shadows, displayed on a wall, are controlled by puppeteers who fool the prisoners into believing the shadows are the true objects. When a prisoner is released, he is dragged into sunlight. In seeing this unknown world for the first time, he becomes confused and disoriented. Eventually, he adjusts and decides he is better off with all this knowledge from the real world above. When he goes back into the cave to enlighten the others, he is thought to be foolish and is killed by the uninformed …show more content…
The people of Paradise, described as “busy souls”, are addicted to working. Consequently, they assume people must solely spend time on tasks that are useful to society. Unfortunately, this notion prevents these prisoners from finding their passions. I personally live in a town that has an obsession with productivity. By concentrating on what colleges are looking for rather than what they actually enjoy, many of Newton North’s students are addicted to the idea of success. The workers of Paradise, just like students, need time to explore interests and develop creativity because without that opportunity, life loses meaning. Art is a clear example of light outside the cave because the enlightened can use it to have a fuller understanding and cognizance of the world. When someone breaks free of their addiction, they can envision all the beauty in the world they could not recognize in the

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