Just now finished Dan Brown's 'The Lost Symbol'. Disappointed and more confused. All his books start with some ancient mystery guarded by secret societies, evil forces tracing the legends and ultimately when the truth unveils its stark naked. Simple. On your face. However, that is not what is disappointing or confusing to me.
In his most famous work 'Da Vinci Code' he tells about a truth powerful enough to uproot the basis of Christianity, a secret guarded safely for over a millenia and what is THE TRUTH? that a woman named Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus and bore his progeny. Why was she so important? because she was a direct descendant of one of the most powerful families and their union marked the coming together of the king David and Solomon's families. That's all? history has seen numerous kings and dynasties flourish and perish. Why should this matter so much? and according to them Jesus was just a mortal, like all of us. a good preacher and prophet of change perhaps. If so then why give so much importance to just a king, who was a man like all of us? is that a secret big enough to be guarded for millenniums? In the end when the protagonist kneels before the bones of Mary Magdalene it is termed as kneeling before 'the banished one' the sacred feminine.Feminism was, is and will be there. The wife of a prophet even if most people don't believe in, need not necessary be THE ONE to be worshiped.
And the book that I've read just now. The lost symbol. Another secret society guarding another big secret, ready to sacrifice lives to protect the secret which is ultimately revealed to be in open. Most read, known by all. The Bible. Then why go to such lengths to 'protect' it? What harm could it do even if it falls at the hands of 'evil?'.
One of the most prominent things that I see in Mr. Brown's books are the reference to metaphors or allegory. The very core of his whole book is that. All our holy scriptures use metaphor to make us mortals understand the higher knowledge that our brains are unable to process. Like the Jesus walking on water, Krishna's help to draupadi during vastrapaharana, all a metaphor. To make us understand the hidden, real meaning behind it all. What he tells is- the problem begins when we actually start believing in those metaphors. But what those secret societies depicted in the novels do? The same, may be metaphorical rituals like Herious Gamos- the sacred sexual act or the mock killing and initiation in to Masons Society etc. These alleged age old rituals could also have been some metaphors. Why do those societies still observe them? Symbolism? It seems to me like that story where a cat was giving alot of trouble to the teacher while preaching, so he ordered to tie it in a bag which continued as a ritual even with the next generation, never knowing the real reason. A foolish act.
Does knowing the truth free man from all ignorance and blindness? It doesn't look so to me. Even a truth, a simple one, known to all, is tried vehemently to hide, glorify and elevate. I presume the hunger for power is the biggest of all. Bigger than money. That is what drives the World. Being privy to a secret, even just an alleged secret might have given the people some thrill of possessing a power that others donot have. That is why secret societies were built, sacred scriptures were studied and understood only by a select section of society like Brahmins. A knowledge that others donot have is a power to its holder. If we look at history, Man's quest has always been to acquire power. Napoleon's quest to conquer the World, Hitler's attempts to establish his purist Aryan race, Bin Laden's Holy war or even the America's wars around the world. All an attempt to acquire power. Though meaning different things to different people at different circumstances the core is the same. Power.
A midst all these confusions and oddities what I liked in Dan Brown's books is the way he tells us to take a minute from our chaotic lives and look at the simple things. The expanse of the Universe, the potential of human brain, the capabilities of a simple prayer and most of all- belief and trust. That is all is required for us, in today's world, to be at peace.
In his most famous work 'Da Vinci Code' he tells about a truth powerful enough to uproot the basis of Christianity, a secret guarded safely for over a millenia and what is THE TRUTH? that a woman named Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus and bore his progeny. Why was she so important? because she was a direct descendant of one of the most powerful families and their union marked the coming together of the king David and Solomon's families. That's all? history has seen numerous kings and dynasties flourish and perish. Why should this matter so much? and according to them Jesus was just a mortal, like all of us. a good preacher and prophet of change perhaps. If so then why give so much importance to just a king, who was a man like all of us? is that a secret big enough to be guarded for millenniums? In the end when the protagonist kneels before the bones of Mary Magdalene it is termed as kneeling before 'the banished one' the sacred feminine.Feminism was, is and will be there. The wife of a prophet even if most people don't believe in, need not necessary be THE ONE to be worshiped.
And the book that I've read just now. The lost symbol. Another secret society guarding another big secret, ready to sacrifice lives to protect the secret which is ultimately revealed to be in open. Most read, known by all. The Bible. Then why go to such lengths to 'protect' it? What harm could it do even if it falls at the hands of 'evil?'.
One of the most prominent things that I see in Mr. Brown's books are the reference to metaphors or allegory. The very core of his whole book is that. All our holy scriptures use metaphor to make us mortals understand the higher knowledge that our brains are unable to process. Like the Jesus walking on water, Krishna's help to draupadi during vastrapaharana, all a metaphor. To make us understand the hidden, real meaning behind it all. What he tells is- the problem begins when we actually start believing in those metaphors. But what those secret societies depicted in the novels do? The same, may be metaphorical rituals like Herious Gamos- the sacred sexual act or the mock killing and initiation in to Masons Society etc. These alleged age old rituals could also have been some metaphors. Why do those societies still observe them? Symbolism? It seems to me like that story where a cat was giving alot of trouble to the teacher while preaching, so he ordered to tie it in a bag which continued as a ritual even with the next generation, never knowing the real reason. A foolish act.
Does knowing the truth free man from all ignorance and blindness? It doesn't look so to me. Even a truth, a simple one, known to all, is tried vehemently to hide, glorify and elevate. I presume the hunger for power is the biggest of all. Bigger than money. That is what drives the World. Being privy to a secret, even just an alleged secret might have given the people some thrill of possessing a power that others donot have. That is why secret societies were built, sacred scriptures were studied and understood only by a select section of society like Brahmins. A knowledge that others donot have is a power to its holder. If we look at history, Man's quest has always been to acquire power. Napoleon's quest to conquer the World, Hitler's attempts to establish his purist Aryan race, Bin Laden's Holy war or even the America's wars around the world. All an attempt to acquire power. Though meaning different things to different people at different circumstances the core is the same. Power.
A midst all these confusions and oddities what I liked in Dan Brown's books is the way he tells us to take a minute from our chaotic lives and look at the simple things. The expanse of the Universe, the potential of human brain, the capabilities of a simple prayer and most of all- belief and trust. That is all is required for us, in today's world, to be at peace.
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