Truth and reality are two entities that seem to go hand in hand more than one-way. In reading this piece, I came up with some of my own ideas regarding Truth and false versions of the Truth-in doing so, this helped to reaffirm what I believed to be the relationship between both Truth and Reality. I’m going to call these “False Truths” because even though they are like “falsehoods”, due to the psychological and innate beliefs of the innocent individual, resulting from conditioning by a greater power, these “False Truths” legitimately seem to be Truth in the eye of the beholder. To me, that seems a bit more than a mere “false hood” in which the individual has the ability through instinct and personal growth to work their way to seeing through such illusions. Plato is emphasizing the idea of “False Truths” by the imagery of the prisoners chained and forced to see what the puppeteer wishes. In this scenario, what they see is essentially what they believe. The Truth appears to be that a cow passing over the fire glow and casting its shadow is just that, a cow. Little do these people know, but that which appears to be a living and breathing cow could really be a statue or a human imitation. At the very beginning of his work, Plato makes this solid distinction between reality and surface appearance. Again, what one sees, may not always be what is reality. The apparent Truth through one’s sight and observation can be contrasted by the idea that there is an illusion existing which they are being fed by an overpowering and dominating force, or a “False Truth” in play. The Reality comes about when the person sees, after their “chains” are lifted, and they are able to turn “towards the fire” and view the shadows of Truth they had been fed. In many ways, True Truth comes from the experience of repelling the dominating forces, approaching the light and understanding that comes from approaching the darks corners and all aspects of a life. In embracing the ability to learn and perceive life on one’s own instead of being fed a series of images and thoughts by other powers, the individual is able to be a part of Reality and accept True Truth, while simultaneously rejecting the illusion of “False Truths”. Though this Reality that is achieved is ideal in that illusions do not exist, it is only one step in the achievement of betterment because others who are blind to such understanding will not accept the Truth that one who comes back attempts to share. Ergo, Reality and True truth change a person to want to help change others, but these two things are to be achieved solely by the individual without help. The light of individual understanding is stronger when achieved independently then is what Plato is saying, emphasizing the true power of the individual as a force of change.