Why do people believe what they see and hear? and Why are some people afraid to emerge from their "caves?"

People believe what they see and hear because they trust their senses. They think that since they saw something happen right in front of their eyes that it is automatically and inevitably real. This can be proved wrong as seen with magicians. Even if people see something happen, it doesn't mean that it can necessarily be understood. In today's society it is bluntly obvious that people can not believe what they hear because large quantities of the information are fabricated. Just look at what is spoken about on gossip TV shows, not everything can be so dramatic and it is often over exaggerated for the affect on the audience and the viewers.

People believe in what they know and what they are used to and have been conditioned to their entire lives. They don't want to believe in specific things because it is out of the norm and possibly out of their comfort zone. They have been conformed to their little bubble they live in, and if exposed to the truth, wouldn't know what to do. Their comfort zone is referred to as their "cave." They want to stay in them because it is what is familiar to them and a lot of people do not like change. Examples of this are the stories where a woman marries a man and ends up finding out he is cheating on her. Many people don't want to believe this or even confront the issue, so they gravitate away from the signs of infidelity until it must absolutely come out. Sometimes, the truth is too much for people to handle, therefore, making them more magnetically pulled toward their cave.