The Island of Stupidity

This afternoon I went to Starbucks to drink some green tea while I studied for my ECON test that is on Thursday. It was a productive afternoon because I was able to finish a chapter and a half and feel pretty confident about the exam. Could I possibly get an A in ECON this semester? I had to take three ECON classes for my undergrad and received an A- and two Cs. An A this time would be superb.

The local Starbucks had four comfy chairs and several tables for studying. When I arrived, the chairs were taken by two men reading books and two women just hanging out. About an hour into my study session, one of the men leaves and on the way out says goodbye to the two women. The women ask him if he finished his book. He says he is taking the book in small doses and finds it interesting if he reads it with an open mind. This comment perks my attention - what could he be reading? A social commentary, a comedian politcal examination...no, "The DaVinci Code".

Their conversation that follows had me fighting to keep my mouth shut and not laugh out loud! The man talked about how there was some compelling facts in the book that might make him believe it really is true. He has the DVC version with the pictures so when the book talked about The Last Supper he could see that Mary Magadelene really was in the picture. One of the women asked if The Last Supper was a real painting of Jesus and did someone really paint it?! Then she asked is Leonardo DaVinci was real and oh, wasn't he the guy that painted the Sistene Chapel?! They all three agreed that he was. Then she said "I am an idiot". Finally, something I could agree with! The man asked them how big they thought the Mona LIsa was. He let them know that it was 21 inches - just like the size of my book. His book was about 12 inches - men are always exaggerating on the size of things ;)! Their conversation lasted about 15 painful minutes and concluded with an agreement between the three of them that DVC was just one man's opinion!

DVC is a work of fiction! What makes it a good work of fiction is that it weaves in actual history and true facts with a story. For conspiracy theorists, it is exciting to read and ponder that possibility of a worldwide conspiracy to cover the truth. I believe there are several powerful entities in the world that could have the ability to influence the world's thinking, but I don't spend any time thinking DVC is real anymore than I think Harry Potter's secret world of magic really exists (though it would be cool if I was a muggle).