David on Plato's Cave

Plato once wrote a now famous allegory, the allegory of The Cave.
In the cave, people lived their lives facing the walls, never turning to see what else the cave might hold.
The whole of their experience revolved around their interaction w/shadows that were always cast on the walls of the cave.
Over the course of generations, it came to be believed that the shadows comprised the whole of reality; there was no need to turn around.
But one day, for no apparent reason, a young boy did slightly turn his head.
At first he was disoriented and did not comprehend what he saw.
Gradually, though, it became apparent to him that the cave dwellers were chained in such a way that all they could see were the shadows.
He saw that the cave was much more vast than he had been taught.
He saw a huge fire some distance away, being maintained by a few individuals whose appearance was not unlike his own.
With a start, he realized that the shadows on the wall were actually being cast by the dance of the firelight.
They were not real at all!
He learned how to drop the chains that had unwittingly bound him, made his way quietly past the Guardians of the Fire, and noticed a trace of light seeping in from some point high above him.
With great effort, he climbed up to where the Light was coming through and lifted himself up out of the cave.
The brilliance of the light was dazzling at first.
Everything was crystal clear! Here there were no shadows at all!
Then he remembered his family and friends still living in the cave, still entranced by shadows. Climbing back inside, he returned to his spot along the cave wall, and excitedly began to tell of his experience.
Some acted as though they could not hear him, their faces without a trace of _expression.
Others turned for a moment and then looked away.
Still others warned the young boy that the Light was an old myth, long since explained away by the high priests and governors of the cave dwellers, and that he would do well to forget it.
A few -- a very few -- wanted to hear more.
Is that what this world is?
Am I, are we, living in a cave occupied with mere shadows we cast ourselves?
Am I ready to give up my world?
It is the only one I know, and even this one I know not well.
Or do I simply fear what lies beyond the borders -- the proscriptions of authority -- of consensus "Truth"?