I'm a bigot. This is the biggest lesson I learned from The Secret. My prejudice: I don't believe a bleach blond woman who brags about her ability to maintain her ideal weight of 116 lbs. despite what she eats can possibly be my guru. Nor can author Rhonda Byrne's millionaire motivational-speaker- chiropractor-investment-counselor buddies or that author who made his fortune off his Chicken Soup warm fuzzies. Sure, they can tell me how to make money, but they can't palm those lessons off as spiritual lessons. That's just cheap and lousy and makes her indistinguishable from the average reap-what-you-sow, look-what-I've-got right wing Christian millionaires.The Secret didn't float my boat--as a book or as a movie that ran like the History Channel's worst nightmare. I was uncomfortable with it because it conflates the acquisition of material wealth with some kind of spiritual quest. You've arrived spiritually when you have as many square feet as the Chicken Soup guy. Quantum physics provides the scientific explanation for this spiritual leap, though not a very deep or satisfying explanation. Basically, thoughts become things, so think millions and you will have them. Byrne reduces quantum physics to some form of latter day alchemy and justifies it by pointing to her wealth and that of her friends. (more)
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Hi, I found through through Hot Dog Man... I use a few of the principles taught in The Secret, - of course I do, they are Spiritually based. Gratitude, Forgiveness, (looking ahead and moving on), Focus on your path. But there are so many 'holes' in the theory. The part I find most out of integrity is to presume that by 'wishing' or thinking hard enough, you'll find happiness through stuff. What if that 'stuff' isn't what your life is really about? Shouldn't we be focusing on our unique place in the world and what the biggest picture for our lives should be? Perhaps it is in our beset spiritual interest to learn to paint. If we spend our time focusing on getting something we think we want, there isn't time for intuition or the flow of life to emerge. I think Esther Hicks and her Law of Attraction teachings comprehend a much larger picture than just one 'Law' in the Universe! Great post
ReplyDeleteWelth and faith is a juggle.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being here.