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