Now there are plenty of people out there who seem to loooove the secret, a film that has become an underground best seller, if that is not an oxymoron, based on the 'Law of Attraction'.
Now it is not hard to see why so many people like the secret. In lots of ways I do. It is well made, with pretty visuals, consistent special effects, short sentences, stirring music, period costumes, rampaging mobs, conspiracy theories, love interests and boundless, boundless optimism.
Basically the Law of Attraction says, if you truly ask for something from the Universe, the universe will grant your wish....
That's right, anything.
The film is full of happy stories of people who have had their wish granted. The delighted witnesses explain having spent some time putting their attention on the things that they do not want, struggling with illness, debt and hate they learn to shift their attention. The moment their thoughts turn to love, health and wealth (lots of that) it arrives by the bucketful.
Interspersed with the secret success stories, various authorities explain how the secret works according to the laws of the universe as proved by quantum physics, feng shui etc.
You may detect a circumspect and unconvinced tone to my words. Well, I did say I quite like the film, and I do. I also think that I have an anarchist streak that dislikes the idea of having yet another Law imposed on me, however attractive it may be.
Also I tend to like things simple. Why use a magical explanation when a simple one will do?
I agree that if you focus on what you want, rather than not getting what you do not want then you have a much better chance of getting it. However we can easily explain a lot of this in terms of cognitive strategies. Things like noticing opportunities, or having a pleasant personality, and good non verbal communication can explain much of what is going on, possibly all of it.
To not take this into account is to encourage sloppy thinking, and I value the ability to think clearly.
Coincidence could explain a lot more, at least if that is something you believe in. I would recommend Derren Brown's book Tricks of the mind - and the section on pseudoscience if you want to get a different juicy sense of the way 'our thoughts create reality.'
I do agree that our thoughts create, or at least effect reality. All inventions start with thoughts, and so do many arguments, wars etc. If I didn't think that the way we think has an huge impact on how we live, I wouldn't be in the line of work I do. But the correlation is not 100%. I recently read a man propose this little test for people who think that thoughts create reality.
1. How many people have you thought about sleeping with
2. How many people have you actually slept with?
You may find some discrepancy between the thoughts and the reality...Naturally manifesters will have some arguments to defend the LoA against this test, and I agree it's hardly conclusive. But it did make me smile, so I thought I'd share it.
I think getting people to notice a relation between their thoughts and the life they live is a pretty healthy intention. I question whether dressing up the idea in terms of dream houses, jewelry, money and magic is anything more than a shallow commercial decision. I also wonder if it will lead people to do lots of affirming, and not much action, followed by disappointment both in the world, and the value of their thoughts.
More optimistically all the shiny promise of the video could lead someone out of a mechanistic view of life and create all kinds of new possibilities. It can also open the door on the hall of mirrors of believing and seeing, seeing and believing. I believe that loosening up people's grip on truth and reality is in most cases a step in a good direction.
Some people dislike the Law of Attraction, because if it is true then all the people dying horribly around the world, and around history are suffering because they willed it upon themselves. Perhaps a consignment or two of the Secret DVD's would swiftly lead to a new era of peace and enlightenment in Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan...I'm certainly wishing them peace...
Now, being a relatively rational NLP person I propose a Law of Attraction technique/experiment, neatly summarized in a few numbered steps, with clear instructions, and some feedback to see how the experiment is going. It is not ready yet, but I can see it manifesting very soon, honestly.
Here is a clip of the secret for you to get some of the flavour...If you want to watch the whole film, I recommend watching it with the whole of your brain.
4 comments:
The secret really works. You just have to try it out. It gets much more credibility than NLP for sure. NLP failed a whole array of controled studies already (Devilly 2005). The secret is so clearly and intuitively right there's no need to test it in the lab. Its just something you have to do. Dave
hello anonymous, thank you for sharing your full name.
I like your use of double standards. NLP requires scientific testing - the secret does not because it is 'so clearly intuitively right' , just as white supremacists would say that they are 'so clearly intuitively superior'. What seems 'intuitively right' often deserves to be looked into in greater detail.
There are many valid criticisms of NLP, and I regret that there has not been a more through scientific investigation of NLP.
I have read some of the papers on NLP. I think that some of the experimental designs were flawed, Also some of the controlled studies gave positive results in favour of NLP.
If there is someone out there who would like to design, execute and publish further controlled studies I would be happy to participate.
In the mentime will use the power of intention and the secret to have your name revealed to me. It can only work.
Hey!
Thanks for your suggestion.I will surely go through the book "Tricks of the Mind" and see if my thoughts can create reality.
Have you ever got close to the idea, that both are based on one and the same thing actually? NLP and The Secret :)
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