The last few days I've been listening to the audio version of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. It was available from our online audio library, so I said to myself, why not? I might as well know firsthand what all the fuss was a couple of years ago.
From the very first "pages" I've got to admit it is engaging. I find it difficult to shut off the playback so that I can get some other things done, or get some sleep (even though that hasn't been forthcoming in great quantities as of late). Even if the story doesn't come close to being a masterpiece work of fiction, the elements engage curiosity and emotions.
Why am I writing about, what would be in this digital age, ancient news? I think it is because there are some things that I can learn from the book and the way it is put together. And I think I was meant to read it at this particular point in time.
The main point I think I was meant to learn, or be reminded, is that a story, no matter how well crafted and logically laid out it may be, it not necessarily true. The story's "facts" even when presented so convincingly, may not be facts at all, or may be misinterpretations of reality.
Another point that I think I am supposed to glean is that a person's perspective, to a great degree, colors what is reality and truth to that person. If I'm wearing yellow lenses, I'm going to see everything as yellow. If someone else is wearing red lenses, they are going to see everything as red. What another person is convinced is truth and reality, may not be, or only be partially. The same goes for my perspective and opinions.
A third point may be that when enough truth is mixed with fiction, the fiction begins to seem like truth. Even with all that I know about Christian history, when I'm listening to the Da Vinci Code, I find myself thinking, that makes sense... but wait a minute... is it really that way? So I can understand the many individuals who have come to question Christianity based on reading or listening to this book. The story for the most part sounds plausible, especially in the context of a conspiracy that organizations have supposedly kept hidden for centuries. I think most people are suspicious of organizations, especially in today's context, and are willing to believe plausible conspiracy theories.
A final point that I needed reminding is that when a person believes fiction, fables, and errors long enough, for that person, the fiction becomes reality. The take away for me is that whenever someone tells me stories, I need to be (I hate to do this) skeptical enough to separate what is truly true from what someone simply believes to be true, albeit sincerely.
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