The Lost Symbol

I am always excited about Dan Brown and at school, my colleague and I like to use some of his ideas for our English treasure hunt! It's crazy and mind-boggling to the students who are not familiar with Dan Brown or anything which has got to do with breaking code and symbol but it has impacts on them and it can be seen on their excited faces after breaking the code that we made for the game! Ok. So, let's begin the review.

I was so full of enthusiasm upon knowing that Dan Brown will write about Freemasonry on his fifth novel, The Lost Symbol (plus it features Robert Langdon! I admire him so much). I've read some comments and reviews which are of the opinion that this latest novel is not as exciting as his previous ones, you know the ones which feature Robert Langdon in it namely The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, but still it is the best novel that I've read this year and it is indeed unputdownable! I spent a day and half reading the whole novel for it is so exciting and the fact that it gives details about Masons intrigued me more.

The story is set in Washington DC, not as ancient as Rome and Paris (where the previous two novels are set) but it provides enough architecture which lies hidden meaning and symbols for a novel to be so 'Dan Brown'. The story starts when a prominent Mason, Peter Solomon is kidnapped, causing the involvement of the CIA (for it is a matter of national security) and as usual, this famous Harvard Professor aka Symbologist Robert Langdon, is forced by the antagonist, Mal'akh to be in the game in order for him to save Solomon, who is also his best buddy. So Robert Langdon using his expertise in Symbology follow the track/path which uncover the secret of Freemasonry. Meanwhile, Peter Solomon also has a sister named Katherine Solomon, a scientist in the field of Noetic Science. Just like TDVC and A&D, Langdon will have a female companion who is brilliant and gorgoues along his journey seeking the truth and as you might have guessed it, Katherine Solomon is the girl.

What makes Dan Brown special is his ability to infuse fiction with facts. So, for the first time in my life I learnt about what Noetic Science is. It is a field which studies about human intuition and its relation with matter. It is believed that our intuition can change the material world. For example, in this novel, it is said that the 911 tragedy, which has caused grief and sadness worldwide affects the. Why it takes a large population of people to cause such change? It is because of the fact that human intuition has mass. So more mass, more affect that our intuition has towards matter. I was also taken aback by an experiment conducted by Katherine in the novel which is done to prove that human soul has mass. The experiement weighs someone who is dying. It shows the weight of the person when he is alive, is different seconds after he said goodbye to the world. A shocking discovery but I am of the thinking that this will provide a solid ground to prove the existence of something that our naked eyes cannot see e.g. the hereafter, GOD.
This also reminds me of Rene Descartes' I think, therefore I am.'

Back to Freemasonry as revealed by Brown, you might be thinking that Brown's perspective on them will as skeptical as most of us are, but it is not. He actually shows the positive side of the secret society (excluding the rituals) but I guess it will not be enough for me to change my perception on Mason. Actually it is a call for invitation to discover the truth about this society. I will find out more about them insya-Allah. FYI, most of the State's former presidents are Masons except for Robert Nixon & JFK (I am not sure about Obama, anyone knows? please tell me). In this novel you will learn more about the philosophy behind this organisation and perhaps you may find it conflicting with your belief e.g. APOTHEOSIS. I am of the view that we have no power to be elevated to the rank of God for God is not what we think He is, but we are just given power which outrank us among all creatures in this world. We are given the brain which enables us to fly, to invent technology which makes our lives easier but what makes us different than the creator is our capability is limited. And it is worth to note that Mason is not a religion. It is an organisation which comprises of people from many different faiths e.g Islam, Christians, Judaism etc.

Lastly, the novel also mentions about the Lost Word which is actually refers to the Holy Scriptures (the Holy Koran, the Holy Bible, the Masonic bible, the Torah, Veda, etc). These holy scriptures are the lost wisdom which can create miracles as history has shown. It reminds me of the ulul-albab (the thinking group who understands God's wisdom) mentioned in the Quran. Only such people can come up with scientific discoveries by studying the Holy Books.

So, I think the book is worth-reading just like all of Dan Brown's novels. It will enlighten you more about something going on in this world that we do not know. We don't want to be ignorant, don't we?

"To live in the world without becoming aware of the meaning of the world is like wandering about in a great library without touching the books."- The Secret Teachings of All Ages