Nothing New under the Sun

"The secret is how to die.  Since the beginning of time, the secret had always been how to die.  The thirty-four year old initiate gazed down at the human skull cradled in his palms.  the skull was hollow, like a bowl, filled with bloodred wine. Drink it, he told himself,you have nothing to fear."

So begins the latest Dan Brown novel "The Lost Symbol". You will, no doubt, remember him from "The Da Vinci Code" that gave birth to a thousand conspiracy theories, copycat novels and negative reviews from Catholic and other Christian communities.  This time the protagonist, Robert Langdon, is now in a race to save his friend by uncovering the mysteries of the Freemasons and using his cryptological skills and knowledge to avert certain disaster.

Plot sound familiar? 

It should.  After all, that is pretty much how "Angels and Demons" and "The Da Vinci Code" play out.  OK, granted without the Freemasons, but substitute them for the Illuminati or the Knights Templar and you have pretty much the same thing.  Each of the three books opens with a symbol either carved, branded or tattooed on a body or body part.  From there, the protagonist must unravel a series of clues through deciphering ancient symbols, either written, carved or architected.  Finally, in the nick of time, disaster is averted (or will it?  I haven't finished the book yet!).  Dan Brown has found a formula and the formula quite patently works.  "The Da Vinci Code" alone has sold over 40 million copies worldwide since its publication and this latest novel would appear to be headed for similiar levels of interest.  In the first 24 hours of sales, over one million copies were sold in the US, UK and Canada alone.

I have no problem with an author using a good formula.  After all, there are many things that stand the test of time and repetition, whether in literature, business or HR.  Yesterday, I was sent a link to a blog (thanks, Matt) on the "25 most difficult questions you'll be asked on a job interview".  As I read through the questions and the article's suggested strategies, I thought that they all made eminent sense and were certainly applicable to anyone, like myself, looking a job or attending interviews during these times.  It wasn't until I reached the final paragraph of the blog
that I saw that the source date for the article was 5th January 1983!  I had not left school at that time and yet the questions posed and strategies suggested still hold as true for today's job market as for a quarter century previously.

The title for this post is actually part of a quote from the Bible; Ecclesiastes 1:9.  "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; There is nothing new under the sun".  Business and HR models appear, have their moment in the sun, then disappear, only to re-appear in the future, modified or caolaseced with other models but still recognisable.  simple and sound principles, though, have an enduring quality that seems to transcend time.

And Finally...

In tune with the conspiratorial nature of "The Lost Symbol", I leave you with a quote from Hamlet by William Shakespeare to ponder:

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosphy."

All the best

Jim