Travels are cyclical — you start at home, you go away and then you come back home again.  And now I’ve come full circle from the philosophical discussion and back to the gay.  We are talking about Plato, after all.  I was thinking that maybe coming out of the cave for Plato was a little like coming out of the closet.

We’re going to stretch this out a little bit, so bear with me.  Once again, I find myself thinking of the cave as a metaphor for women, and how some men might feel they’re trapped in the hole of womankind. So for Plato to come out of the cave and see the light and find himself in the company of men with superior and enlightened minds, he’s freeing himself of the dull company of women.

As some gay men are, Plato was also a bit of a feminist, though.  In his perfect society, his Republic, the women and men would all exercise naked together, side by side as equals.  Even though women had such revolting bodies, he recommended that men just bite the bullet for the good of the society and do their jumping jacks right next to a cavernous cow with a pair of flopping udders.

How’s that for mixed metaphor?

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