Letters to the Editor
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Is truth stranger than fiction?
It's hard to read the titles of Castaneda's books and not recognize that they were about an evolving journey, distinctive to the writer, as well as the individual reader. Consequently, one should be careful not to generalize their particular conclusions to his larger readership. Perhaps too much weight is placed on the "non-fiction" designation, considering that our ability to define reality is blurred at best. Flip the coin and think about all those works that are defined as "fiction". How many of us have found the truth lurking there? As for the aftermath of the sixties and early seventies - non of us are immune, perhaps least of all, Castaneda. If he was corrupted by the large scale impact of his ideas, it doesn't necessarily mean that the kernel of what he was saying was wrong. His personal story is not mine. But some of what he had to say holds meaning for all of us. One only need look at the hedonistic here and now and the threadbare nature of our ecology to realize that truth is stranger than fiction and that our death does stalk us. We would all do well to live impeccably, even if Castaneda did not.