Day 14 · Q1: Self-Knowledge · January 14, 2026
Pause. Breathe. Begin.
I . L E C T I O
Plato
Republic, Book VII — Allegory of the Cave
“The journey upwards is the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world.”
C O N T E X T
In Plato's most famous allegory, prisoners chained in a cave mistake shadows for reality. The philosopher who escapes and sees the sun represents the painful but liberating journey from illusion to truth.
I I . M E D I T A T I O
“What 'shadows' have you been mistaking for reality in your life?”
I I I . S C R I P T I O
Write one sentence about a belief you once held that turned out to be an illusion.
I V . C O N N E X I O
Plato's cave is a metaphor for what Dostoevsky described: the truths we hide even from ourselves. The difference is that Plato believes we can escape. Do you?
This practice exists because of readers like you.
Sustain it →Tomorrow's passage, delivered at dawn.