How to Live a Meaningful Life

in plato’s allegory of the cave

cavemen are shackled to one another in a

dim cave

unable to turn their heads as the days

tick by meaninglessly

the chained cavemen remain consumed by

the shadows on the walls of the cave

a small burning fire allows for these

shadows the chained cavemen believe they

are living meaningful lives as they are

consumed and in pure adoration of these

shadows

they never question where the shadows

come from

one day one of the cavemen is suddenly

broken from the shackles despite initial

confusion

he decides to exit the cave and explore

at first his eyes are in pain as well as

his limbs he’s in an

unfamiliar space nevertheless he

continues his exploration

eventually he stumbles upon animals and

beautiful insects

he’s in awe of the wonderful plants and

delighted by the taste of fresh air

the caveman has an epiphany as he

suddenly realizes that the shadows on

the walls of the cave come from

real creatures and legitimate objects

the caveman experiences an enlightenment

plato’s allegory of the cave describes

an idea of tunnel vision

the golden egg of the allegory is the

idea that a life spent with a skewed

narrow vision

as a life squandered a life spent in a

metaphorical cave

compromises one’s ability to pursue a

meaningful life

interestingly we’re living plato’s

allegory in a lot of ways

the cavemen represent many americans the

nature of complacency symbolizes the

cave we live within

as cavemen we are consumed and

entertained by the shadows on the walls

of the cave the outside unexplored world

represents windows of

unseized opportunity this

is the allegory of the cave i’m an

american

however i’m also zimbabwean being born

in the united states

means i could have been restrained by

shackles alongside

other americans inside the cave i could

have been subject to hypnotization of

these shadows as opportunity fleeted

however because my parents are

zimbabwean

my knowledge of zimbabwean culture and

experiences

are the very forces which release me

from captivation

my very birth into biculturalism is the

sudden release from the shackles

as the escaped detainee i stand in awe

of the infinite opportunities before me

i am talking about the opportunities

which allow for the pursuit

of a meaningful life so what is a

meaningful life

my definition of a meaningful life is

pursuing and recognizing

every opportunity presented it is shaped

with the knowledge of the privileges

that i carry

as a first generation american it all

started with my parents choice to

relocate to the united states

in 2000 my parents alongside my brother

who was one year at the time

embarked on a journey to the u.s with

their hearts set on dallas texas

they traveled to the united states

infatuated by a show

i’m sure many of you are familiar with

dallas

attracted to the fast-paced drama failed

excitement of the tv show

they figured if they were to move to the

united states

dallas would be the epitome of the

american dream

in all seriousness the choice to

relocate to the united states was a

choice of safety and hope

by 2000 zimbabwe was in a political and

economic crisis

most importantly my parents wanted a

brighter future for my siblings and i

they constantly reminded us of the

infinite educational opportunities

available here in the u.s

based on their zimbabwean circumstances

they believed an education could bring a

peaceful life by 2001

my twin sister and i were born in dallas

texas

growing up my dad constantly reminded my

siblings and i

usa or don’t play with school

usually following would be my mom

somewhere in the background

in zimbabwe

i would see kids your age

running three kilometers just to get to

school

my parents were giving us a taste of

another world

they were breaking the shackles from our

wrists and feet and pulling us out from

the cave

through sharing their real zimbabwean

experiences my parents gave my siblings

and i

the opportunity to fairly evaluate and

compare

zimbabwean experiences and opportunities

and american

opportunities by understanding america

in a global context

i was able to realize just how

meaningful life can be

abundant opportunities await however

by middle school my siblings and i had

grown restless of the anecdotes

we knew lines and phrases by heart at

this point and we mimicked the

storytelling in secret

we felt charlie brown’s pain as we heard

stories for what felt like the millionth

time

nevertheless my brain latched on to my

parents anecdotes and guidelines

so i went to school and i studied hard

with satan

or don’t play with school always rang in

the back of my head

motivating me to stay focused and keep

up

whether it was miss tardif’s third grade

spelling tester mr dixon’s ib business

exam hundina kutamba nichkoro

i didn’t play with school i always

remembered handina

i didn’t run three kilometers just to

get to school

the yellow school bus dropped me off

right at the front steps

i acknowledged these small privileges

and i came to realize that

these perceived small privileges in fact

create paths to greater opportunities

fast forward to senior year college

application season had arrived

all i could think about was how my

narrative would have been different if i

had been born in zimbabwe

would i have such powerful opportunities

without having had to pay a bribe

would applying for further schooling be

a practical option for me

i remember feeling so privileged on the

college application process itself

on the common app site on the

immigration status page

i would simply click u.s citizen and

continue to scroll

i wondered about the additional hoops my

peers to the left and right of me may

face

just to apply to college most

importantly in speaking about

universities the question was never if

but where this is not the reality for

many in our nation

and in other nations finally

a very special decision had arrived in

my email inbox

boston college admissions office

my dad had just picked me up from a

meeting and i’d been waiting until after

the meeting to open

the email anxiously i began to read

dear kudzai we are delighted to offer

you admission

my whole world began to spin

i thought i may have misread it so i

tried it again

dear kudzai we are delighted to offer

you admission

i was ecstatic the cheers and

celebrations of me making it into boston

college rang from zimbabwe

my acceptance into this institution

caused parades mass whatsapp messages

and celebrations as people cheered for

the kodekore tribe

i was so excited vaipuruza they cheered

my acceptance into this institution

means success

i am the first one in my family to ever

be an american citizen i’m the first in

my family line

to ever attend a university on the east

coast let alone

boston college you can hear the ring of

prestige

just in the name i am literally my

ancestors dreams

essentially i believe living a

meaningful life

is taking what you have what could have

been

and using both in order to become driven

and pursue your passions to the best of

your abilities

i am reaffirmed that i am on the path to

living a meaningful life

through my attendance here at bc if you

are in need of a computer

you can go to the library and check out

a macbook

if you are in need of a counselor

whether it be for well-being or for

career advice

resources are abundant because so much

is at my fingertips i see no other

option than to continue to make history

in my family line

as americans we must be cognizant of the

privilege that we carry

we sometimes dangerously hyper focus on

the shadows

of the walls of the cave

new iphones snapchat memes cardi b

in this process we lose sight of the

real tangible

objects which reflect these shadows

innovation creativity artistry

to joel osteen a meaningful life is

spreading the message of hope through

god or to simone biles it’s

pursuing gymnastics passionately there’s

not a definitive

meaning to a meaningful life

we each have our own unique goals and

passions at the end of plato’s allegory

the escaped caveman returns to the cave

he is filled with thrill

as he explains to his peers the wonders

of the unexplored outdoors

however the other cavemen are not only

complacent but they’re hostile toward

the one trying to enlighten them

however this is only plato’s allegory

most importantly it’s only an allegory

from allegories

we learn lessons in order to better the

way we live our lives

with an open mind and a new perspective

we can make a new ending to this

allegory

how will you now pursue your meaningful

life what opportunities lie before you

step outside feel the warmth of the sun

carpe diem

thank you

you