Resurrected From Plato's Cave

In Plato's cave, our protagonist sees only the shadows on the back wall and believes that to be the entirety of all existence, unable to see the great wide world of color and motion that is happening all around him. That is Jack's existence as he struggles with his childhood of abuse and violence at the hands of a sadistic father. For years he believes that his reality is all there can be. Then with the support of a high school coach mentor he begins to see a somewhat wider reality. Seeing the beauty in the world follows slowly as Jack begins to experience the joys of love with his wife Ann and with his son, Jack Junior. Then through a successful life of productive employment, Jack experiences the kind of fulfillment he could never have envisioned as a young boy. As a young adult, Jack successfully emerged, fully resurrected, from his cave to enjoy life with his family. Ann was his always cheerful and loving support and Jack, Jr. his great joy. However, as age begins to affect Jack and Ann, they experience a catastrophic change when Ann has major health problems. Unable to care for his disabled wife, Jack has to relinquish his precious wife to a nursing home where he visits twice a day to share every meal with her. The loneliness and depression of Jack's youth returns as he envisions only a lonely future, with Ann no longer meeting him at the door and cooking favorite meals. He sees a future devoid of hope and joy. As we read, we see how Jack successfully navigated this difficult time and develop the needed coping skills as he faces the final loss of Ann. Resurrected from Plato's Cave, as the title suggests, is a book about triumphing over adversity that can be a model of hope for so many others who experience the same difficulties as young Jack, and also the same grief as mature Jack. This book should be an encouragement for others experiencing life's difficulties. Jack's faith in God is evident throughout this book; his solutions to his problems often depend on support from his God. Susan McMillan, Ph.D., ARNP, FAAN, Emeritus Distinguished Professor University of South Florida College of Nursing