A book review that quickly became a self-evaluation.

A little bit of a backstory: I have been reading Dan Brown's Lost Symbol, and I want to kill myself. I do not know why I thought picking up a Dan Brown novel was a good idea. Can I even call it a novel? I guess it technically is, but a more appropriate term for it is garbage. I hate his writing style, and the "voice" of his book. If I ever saw him I would call him a pretentious douche, and explain to him that I don't need his characters thoughts in italics especially since most of those thoughts I can assume. Every time I see those italics, I want to scream, "Dan Brown you aren't a genius, and I am not THAT stupid."   He is now second, behind Stephenie Meyer, on the list of authors I want to punch in the face. Thinking about how much I hate this book made me want to write a blog, on an actual novel. I will give you one guess...

East of Eden 

John Steinbeck

If you haven't read it, read it,

and if you have read it, read it again, 

and again, and again, and .... 

A quick review: East of Eden is another book by John Steinbeck about the Salinas Valley, but quite possibly the most important one. As the title suggests it has a Biblical theme, but the overall theme is the battle between good and evil. It takes the Biblical story of Cain and Abel, and portrays it in two different sets of brothers, but unlike the Biblical story it shows you the effect on the other characters, and you get to know the "Cain and Abel" characters much better.  My personal favorite parts of the story are when Lee, Samuel, and Adam are discussing the story of Cain and Abel, and when they come back to it years later. It is beautiful, and brings up the most important lesson of the book, that evil can be overcome because "thou mayest."

The other day I was thinking about that discussion, and something besides the lesson of being able to conquer evil stood out to me. It was a few of Lee's other comments that stood out, and his process in understanding those 16 verses in Genesis.

In their first discussion Lee is interested in, yet confused by the story of Cain and Abel. He tries to understand, but still one part doesn't make sense to him, so he studies it. He looks at different translations, and eventually goes to his family association in San Fran where he asks 4 sages, and they ponder on it for years, hire a rabbi, and learn Hebrew. They are very engulfed in their Chinese tradition, but are still curious about these verses.  When they feel good and ready they translate those 16 verses word for word.

Lee is explaining this process during their second discussion and Samuel asks, "Do you then not think this is a divine book written by the inky finger of God?" and he responds, "I think the mind that could think this story was a curiously divine mind. We have had a few such minds in China too."

Lee then explains to Adam and Samuel what they found, and at the end of his explanation and his praises of these verses, Adam asks "Do you mean these Chinese men believe the Old Testament?" Lee responds, "These old men believe a true story, and they know a true story when they hear it. They are critics of truth. They know that these sixteen verses are a history of humankind in any age or culture or race...." He then goes on to say one of the greatest quotes in East of Eden, "... And I feel that I am a man. And I feel that man is a very important thing--- maybe more important than a star. This is not theology.  I have no bent toward gods. But I have a new love for that glittering instrument, the human soul. It is a lovely and unique thing in the universe. It is always attacked and never destroyed---- because 'Thou mayest.'"

I love that Lee, a man who has recently found himself becoming more engulfed in the Chinese tradition, and the Sages can look at something that doesn't come from their history, and see truth in it. I love that Lee praises the individual human, and sees the beauty in them. I want to be like Lee in these aspects. I want to be able to look at different cultures/beliefs and see the beauty in them instead of just what I perceive to be "wrong."

Isn't that what we should all strive for? I look at different cultures, and see this same lesson. Some of them show it better than others....

• In India the word, "Namaste" is used as a common greeting. This means, "The divinity in me respects the divinity in you." How beautiful that they use this word that represents seeing people in such a light. 
• Christ taught that the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. 
• Confucius said "Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself." 
• The Qur'an says, "The most righteous of men is the one who is glad that men should have what is pleasing to himself, and who dislikes for them what is for him disagreeable." 

It is "The Golden Rule" and is literally in every belief or culture. It is a truth that has lived on in every way of life, so it must be extremely important, if not the most important truth. 

All this thinking has led me to analyze my life to see if I am applying this to it, or not. I am going to work much harder, and maybe I should start by saying, "Dan Brown and Stephenie Meyer, I may not enjoy your writing, but many other people do, and I am glad that you are helping people learn to love to read because that is important." 

Side note: The blogger clothing challenge will start the first week of May. Unless somehow "No" starts winning on the poll.