Perception vs. Reality

     

          Every four years, when the temperature begins to drop, leaves begin to fall, and tensions begin to rise, one can be sure a presidential election is around the corner. Every election year is important, yet everybody is always extra keen on watching the news and polls when the possibility of a new president is on the line. Every time, the same issues seem to be brought up; the economy, jobs, national security, health care, etc. Just as sure as we are of the issues being brought to the table, we are of the standard Republican vs. Democrat views on the issues. Of course, some politicians and voters do waver from the views of their party a bit, but usually not to any extremes. I’ve always found it entertaining when voters can’t believe how its even possible for someone to vote for whoever they oppose. As described by Plato, our values and perceptions differ from person to person, and natural tendency will lead us towards whichever candidate satisfies most of our values. 

            Our values, perceptions of reality, and who we benefit from most shape what we believe in and thus who we select on the ballot come the first Tuesday in November. Whether you voted for Obama or Romney, I can’t blame you. Understandably, most will vote for whichever candidate benefits themselves the most.  If a voter will likely make more money under Governor Romney then President Obama, for instance, it is hard to blame them for their selection, even if you are pro Obama.  One must try and be open minded enough to at least attempt to view the thought processes of those in different economic or social situations than yourself before making any claims against them. Additionally, our values differ from person to person leading us to one candidate. A gay couple who has wanted to be able to get married for years values differ than that of an extremely conservative family who is against gay marriage. Our values, generally, as Plato explains, are ingrained in us from the time we are born. The influence parents have on a developing child is unparalleled by almost nothing. Growing up in a family of Maize and Blue, was I ever going to go to Ohio State? Absolutely not.

         Often times, unfortunately, we have a set of comfortability with our set of values.  As most can surely attest to, it is easy to continue to believe the same ideals we had ingrained in us growing up. Many don't want to break away from previous beliefs, and fail to face reality even when they are clearly in the wrong. This leads to many people having inaccurate perceptions of ideas, and contributes to uninformed voters voting in elections. Uninformed voters and other people who's perceptions differ from reality are similar to the prisoners of the cave in Plato's, "Allegory of the Cave." The prisoners can only see shadows from the depths of the cave. While they believe the shadows are reality, they are in fact distorted images. The prisoners, unknowingly and unfortunately, live in a fake reality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpAOwJvTOio

Sadly, what one sees as a shadow in, “the cave,” is more often than not different from actual reality. Plato uses his description of the cave to illustrate the physical world, the generally accepted reality. However, the world outside the cave illustrates Plato's proposed reality in its true form. 

                  Plato writes: "... the prison dwelling corresponds to the region revealed to us through the sense of sight, and the firelight within it to the power of the Sun. The ascent to see the things in the upper world you may take as standing for the upward journey of the soul into the region of the intelligible." 

http://extraordinaryintelligence.com/files/2010/09/Platos-allegory-of-the-cave2.jpg
What the prisoners see on the walls of the cave are often shadows that
differ from reality. 

         While it may seem so simple to differentiate between perception and reality, the opposite could not be more true. With false advertising and media bias extremely prevalent today,  you may feel your head spinning while trying to get all the correct facts in order. As Plato claims, the more you know, the more realize you know hardly anything. Ironically, those who are the most confident are often those who know the least. While we cannot predict the future, and we will not know how President Obama will perform these next four years presently, the best Americans can hope for is that voters who elected Obama could see the light outside of the cave. Hopefully, most Americans perceptions of Obama are reality, and he advances the country to a better state. 

images:

http://hotbedinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Romney-Obama.jpg

http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/d9/af/1348511059_7390_!1.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpAOwJvTOio

http://www.itisnotyourfaultblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Platos-allegory-of-the-cave21.jpg