Blog Entry 1.3: My place in the Cave

                                 According to Socrates' description of the cave, everybody can consider in various views in which I have been asked some questions about my life. How I can know what stage I am, I am still chained looking around in amazement at the shadows that are created for us, and I am walking out into the light and trying to help people get free. I am sure that I am completely walking out into the light, knowing that I am neither chained nor looked at the shadows. But I am not trying to help anyone free from the cave yet.

                                That is deadly true that I am not chained anymore because I am entirely sure that I had been chained when I was in my country where I read about U.S, learned about U.S English and culture from American teachers, and heard about them from my sister as well who has been living in the States for eight years. So, the more I heard and learned about the States, the more I thought I knew about it very well, not knowing that I knew nothing about the reality but the imagination built in the individual's spirit. I had some friends whom I argued with as if I were the only one who knew it the best. In fact, I didn’t know that every poet would write about his/her articles in different views or in general. For example, a poet or a writer who loved New York would say beautiful words and write about the special things of New York. They would not mention about the bad things because they were fond of it, and admired it. Likewise, they only perform and show good scenes, famous buildings, fantastic nightlife and awesome places in the Hollywood movies, which have a strong influence on the people all over the world, to get their impression. Therefore, everything I knew was only the imagination (shadow) influenced by all kinds of physical and mental objects when my life was in the country where was inside the cave.

                                After I released from the cave, my country, I unexpectedly got to know about the States that was totally different from all that I read, heard and watched. I have been completely walking out into the light since I arrived in the States. To begin with I felt culture shock and had to relearn about everything measuring by knowledge that I got from my country. Then the most hardest thing I'd ever got was to try to get accustomed to the culture and the living style. They are very different from my country like oil and water. For instance, on account of being Buddhist, we give everybody forgiveness that is one of the Buddha's saying. We hardly ever talk back regardless of being sorry or angry not meaning that we are afraid of them. On the contrary, they really don't know about our religion and won't think as we act. Eventually, I myself might as well change minority to get along with everybody and cope with everything here as there is a saying "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" in the real world, where I released from the cave.
                                Although I haven't tried to help people free from the cave, I have a plan to do so after I take a trip to my country in the circumstances. I will willingly tell about my experience and the reality to the people who really want to know or who misunderstand about it. They might feel as I did before and full of their imagination that is not real. But I will try my best to explain as much as I can knowing that they can't fully know about the reality of everything until they experience it.