In general, Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave” and LeGuin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” address the same theme – the truth and how it may affect people’s reality. In Plato’s dialogue, the prisoner who escapes the cave sees the reality and cannot perceive shadows shown in the cave in the same way as before. Similarly, the citizens of Omelas cannot stay in the city anymore after they know about the source of its happiness and harmony.
From a personal perspective, people should have a right to know the truth. Moreover, they should know it regardless of all challenges, struggles, additional circumstances, and conditions. In other words, the truth may be painful or knowledge may be connected with difficulties in life – the prisoner escaped from the cave cannot tolerate sunlight, and people in Omelas were shocked knowing about the child. However, staying unaware may lead to others’ suffering and apathy. That is why I believe that we should not stay in the cave or Omelas as in these cases, we support violence and injustice, stay indifferent to pain in favor of our wellbeing, or allow people to manipulate and control us.
It goes without saying that the majority of people fear the unknown cause staying unaware or without knowledge is frequently comfortable and safe while exposing oneself to the truth may be even dangerous. For instance, Plato supposes that people in the cave will not listen to an escaped person and may try to kill him thinking he has lost the truth instead of finding it. However, this fear should not affect our passion for knowledge, education, and truth. In addition, external forces or unpredictable events encourage or forces us to experience new things that lead us to the truth. Although the decision to perceive reality should be cognitive, these forces are necessary as well as people, like people in the cave, frequently do not want to explore the world.