The Secret

The Secret

OK, don’t stone me, but I have a problem with The Secret and the Law of Attraction.  I think it seems to work for some in the world of opportunity, money and connections, but what about the people of the world living in poverty.  My guess is that they wake up every morning praying to their god that they live a better life with more money, better housing, more opportunities and some connection to someone that could help them.  They haven’t been exposed to the kind of education or thinking that allows them to create businesses that will thrive because they put up a note on their ceiling to see each morning saying, “I am a millionaire.”  Sometimes some of this Secret jargon seems like self-indulgent, want to have more, more, more, with magical thinking mixed in for effect.  It reminds me of a story I used to hear about a woman who belonged to a church that believed in speaking in Tongue (God speaking through them in some unknown language).  This woman loved her church, trusted the elders, and lived a good life trying to do everything she was told would get her closer to God.  She witnessed others in her church in prayerful moments going into a trance and speaking in Tongue straight from God.  She never experienced that and went to her death thinking there was something so wrong about her that God would not come to or through her.  How sad.

 

I do believe in positive thoughts, positive intentions, and making plans of actions to get us where we want to be.  That is very important.  I do believe that putting up notes around the house to remind us to stay focused on our intentions and plans does help us meet our goals.  And I’m incredibly thankful to live in a society that allows most of us the opportunity to creatively make our lives better each day by the words and actions we perform.  But sometimes I feel a bit jaded because I get tired of the phrases and words we hear like:

 

The Science of Getting Rich, a book from which the inspiration for The Secret came says in the opening sentence of Chapter 1:

“Whatever may be said in praise of poverty, the fact remains that it is not possible to live a really complete or successful life unless one is rich.”

 

Really?!  This seems like an absurd and ridiculous point of view.  Not to say that money can’t make a person’s life easier, but “not possible to live a really complete or successful life” unless you have an over abundance of money?  This infuriates me.  What happened to the values of having “enough”, values of helping others, creating for the sake of creating?  What about the values of spending time with family and friends, versus spending money on family and friends. I feel we, as a country have gotten so off track from what makes a truly satisfying life that we don’t even realize what our values are for a joyful and healthy life.  When was the last time you sat still and thought about what was really important to you and your family?  If you only had six months left to live, my guess is that you wouldn’t spend it building your financial empire.  You might want to say something to someone that needs to be said, you might want to travel to a place you’ve always wanted to see, you might want to throw a big party for all those in your life that are special to you, you might want to go camping with a grandchild and feel the newness of discovery through their eyes, you may want to learn to paint or quilt or do something to express yourself.  What would you want to leave behind?  That is the secret.  What can you do today that will bring meaning to your life?  Who will you touch by your kindness, your energy, your sharing?