I found the cave allegory to be very interesting, mainly because I think some of its underlying themes are extremely applicable today. Perception is such a major aspect of politics today that I don’t really think many people take into consideration. More than what a president, or any political person of power, does, good or bad, public opinion is based on how they come across and how they make the public feel. In the cave, they would have never realized that what imprisons them is nothing more than a bunch of mere puppets, and I think that in society today sometimes we need to get up and change our perspective in order to get an idea of what’s really going on in the world.
At least for me, the Gardner reading changed my perspective on the importance of the role of a follower in light of the successful leader. I like how he discussed the relationship between a leader and the followers, whom he groups into one sort of entity. He presents the idea that the most successful leaders are the one who can foster the intellectual development of their constituents, enabling them to become even more substantial contributors to that leader’s movement. This also creates followers who can take initiative after the leader is gone, and this whole idea of creating a legacy that will impact future generations is something that I think is very often overlooked. Leaders can do some great things, but if they don’t have anyone to continue their efforts after they are long gone, then, in my honest opinion, it was all for nothing.
The cave allegory interested me as well. I agree with you that some of it is applicable today but when I think of this, I think of the media as a great example. With technology being so sophisticated and easy to get to, it is hard to tell the truth from the lies. Every day the news paints pictures to its audience and that picture varies depending on what news channel you watch. This is dangerous because many people do not know this so they assume that what they are told is true. Just like the people in the cave, they are shown one perspective and often times they do not know any different.
I can agree with you and say that there are a lot of themes that are definitely applicable today. I believe that perception is huge in today’s political world, there is so much that is hidden from the public and generally speaking most political people want to have followers and I believe that perception is important for what they are trying to do.