If the viewer or prisoner chooses to accept what is in front of them as reality then they are in a sense choosing to live in a two-dimensional world; a world of shadows.
Plato believes that in order to escape from this faux reality, one must become enlightened. One must want to discover new ideas and strive for an ultimate truth to escape the limitations of the cave. Plato believes that there are invisible truths lying under what we normally see. .
However an important question remains: How can we make flight from this false sense of reality and see the truth? Throughout history we have had a few great minds in our midst that could have helped us become more constructive as a race. Unfortunately, however, their voices have been muffled by the false sounds of the cave. Thich Nhat Hanh and Friedrich Nietzsche are just two of those great brains. .
In Living Buddha, Living Christ, Thich Nhat Hanh says: "People kill and are killed because they cling too tightly to their own beliefs and ideologies."" This corresponds directly to Plato's cave. People's beliefs and ideologies represent the artificial that is all the prisoners in the cave know. Examples are able to be seen in everyday life but most visibly in the news. Palestinians believe that they are the only people that have the right to the land in and around Israel. The Israelis or at least those in power believe the exact opposite. Because they are not willing to compromise or venture out of the cave so to speak, the bloodshed continues, and they remain in the cavern.
Another point illustrated by Hanh is: "If we think we monopolize the truth and we still organize a dialogue, it is not authentic."" Again this illustrates the fact that people believe they are the sole proprietor of the truth when in fact, their reality is most likely a delusion. What Hanh is saying in this excerpt is that in order to begin leaving the cave, one must acknowledge the fact that their sense of actuality could be false.