Thinking Outside the Box

The Allegory of the Cave and No Exit are both complex pieces of work that analyze the power of the mind and the intent of the mind. It also takes a deeper look at how are minds work and how much control we really have over our mind. It seems that Plato and Sartre have differing views on the limitations the mind has. Plato said that the things holding them back were new environments and things that limited the potential people's mind truly have. Sartre felt that the biggest thing holding back the power of mans' mind was their deep dark desires. The first thing they thought of was their need to satisfy their desire and not to pursue things of greater meaning.

Plato had a solution that you need a person who was a strong will and desire to break the chains holding them back, and then, and only then would they be enlightened and see the light. Sartre's solution was somewhat similar to Plato's in that you would need a strong will, but he says that if people could just accept that their desires are never going to be fulfilled then they can stop trying to achieve their desires and focus and be enlightened. A common theme here is to have a strong will. Having a strong will, will usually help you focus push past your limitations in almost any situation.