The Dangers of “The Secret”
July 14, 2007
The Secret has swept the nation in last couple of months, spreading the ideas of the Law of Attraction from coast to coast like wildfire. It?s no real surprise either; Oprah said it was good, so everyone went to find out for themselves. The film is a documentary put together by an Australian producer giving a quick overview of the ?Law of Attraction? and how it can change your life. But what you?re told in The Secret is not all there is to the story, and it?s what you don?t know that makes The Secret so dangerous.
Before I go any further with this, I want to point out that the law of attraction is indeed based in some form of reality; it?s not all new-age snake oil. The concept has been talked about for nearly a hundred years by such respected names as Napoleon Hill and Ernest Holmes. There are many people all around the world, including Oprah, who claim that the law of attraction has worked for them long before they ever heard of The Secret. I don?t want to turn you away from the idea of the law of attraction; don?t dismiss the idea simply because of the presentation of The Secret. There?s more than meets the eye.
I was one of the people who saw The Secret back when it was strictly a pay-per-view online film, back before everyone and their mother was toting the virtues of the law of attraction. I watched it and was instantly blown away. This to me seemed like the Holy Grail of personal development that I had been looking so long for. I was instantly impressed and jazzed to get started trying this out. It floored me and gave me a huge boost to start making things happen. I instantly went out and began to go through as many books as I could get my hands on about this new law of attraction, reading not only the authors I mentioned above, but also metaphysical writers and teachers like Deepak Chopra and Esther Hicks. The more I read, the more I began to realize the stark horrors that The Secret carried.
The Secret?s deception, you see, lies in its simplicity. It?s given millions of people false hope that they are suddenly going make huge breakthrough and create the lives they?ve always wanted. It shows people that all they have to do is imagine having that brand new car hard enough and eventually they will get it, which is tantamount to saying that if I think about flying long enough, eventually it will happen. Here?s the hard truth behind The Secret:
Thinking will get you nothing.
The idea that your thoughts travel all around the universe and bring back to you what you are looking for is only partially true. Does the universe respond to your thoughts and your feelings? Yes. Just think about all those times when you?ve experienced something you dismissed as a coincidence. That?s the universe tapping you on the shoulder. Will the universe make a brand new car materialize in your driveway because you thought about it hard enough? No.
Now I don?t want this to turn you off of the idea of Metaphysics and the law of attraction, that?s certainly not the point of this article. The point of this article is to encourage you to go beyond simply watching The Secret. The point of this article is to show you the other side of the law of attraction: the Law of Action. And yes, I just made that up.
The Law of Action says that the Universe responds only to those thoughts which are somehow acted upon.
This means that you will only get your new car by taking action, and this action comes in many forms, hence the words ?somehow acted upon.? You can earn the money to buy the car outright. You can earn enough money to make a down payment on the car. You can steal the money, or you can steal the car. All of these actions, combined with aligning your thoughts toward obtaining that car, will eventually get you the car you wanted.
The danger of The Secret is the false hope that it gives people and the susceptibility it creates within them. Suddenly they start seeing signs everywhere and believing that the Universe wants them to plunk down their money to be taught how to attract their millions. It makes people feel as if they?ve created the diseases they suffer from and that they are at fault for all the bad things that happened in their lives. The Secret?s simplicity and materialistic message is a dangerous thing, be wary of it but do not shut it out all together.
Beware of what doesn?t ring true with you. The old adage that if it looks too good to be true, it probably is has never been more apt. Be wary of falling into the trap of believing that manifestation is anything like magic. The law of attraction works, but there is more to it that The Secret lets on.
If you?d like to read more on the reality behind The Secret, I suggest you check out the following books. You may disagree with much of what you read in them, but that will always be the case with any subject. What is important is if it rings true with you. Take what makes sense to you and throw the rest away, but never dismiss anything without further investigation.
Suggested
The Science of the Mind
Think and Grow Rich
The Law of Attraction
The Science of Getting Rich
The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire
Posted in Law of Attraction, Metaphysics, Motivation, Self Improvement, Synchronicity
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