There is no Secret, Part II

This past weekend I switched from reading blogs at the site through their bookmarks to reading them through a feed. Suddenly I'm reading more blogs and making more comments in a shorter time. I'd been resisting using a feed, but the increased productivity has won me over.

One of the blogs I added this weekend due to the decrease in time needed to read through the blogs was ZenHabits. Yesterday he talked about the Law of Attraction and stated his opinion about it to 55,000 people (or more). I've mentioned before that I don't really believe in the Law of Attraction. Today, I'll give you more detail than I did in January.

As much as I can't argue with the results people like Michael Losier produce with their followers, I have never bought into it. I believe that the Law of Attraction doesn't work because there are energy waves out there and we tune into them. For me, the Law of Attraction simply encourages people to visualize not just a half-full glass, but one that never empties no matter how much you drink. More importantly, however, the Law of Attraction encourages people to make conscious choices based on clear desires and a full awareness of the consequences.

Every generation of philosophy has had a version of the power of positive thinking, right back to Plato and his cave of shadows. It's nothing new. There is no Secret and there's no Law of Attraction – there's only choice and awareness.

Someday Lessons:

• Success comes from deliberate choice and hard work.
• Personal religion, philosophy, and the personal growth movement are all tools used to develop self-awareness and conscious choices.

Comments

[Urban Panther]

Interesting. I don't agree with you, but interesting. In the Zen Habits you suggest that The Law of Attraction is a God-replacement. That a person absolves themselves of responsibility for their lives by giving the power to an external force, be it God or a Law. Actually, I agree with Leo's description of the actions required for success, but to suggest that it is our actions only that make the world go around seems to be sanitized and barren. What about the old proverb of God helps those who help themselves? Not that I personally believe in a Christian God, but I do believe that the Universe helps those that help themselves. Therein lies a much richer version of our existence. The Law of Attraction is a partnership between our clear desires and understanding of the consquences, as you put it, and the powers that exist to be tapped into.

[Alex Fayle]

For me, knowing that I'm the only one responsible for my choices and actions makes the world richer and more meaningful - it means to me that every action I take has importance because every decision I make influences my life. As it's very early in the morning, I doubt I'm explaining this well... I think it's best summed up in the idea of Existentialism: http://www.theintellectualviewpoint.com/existentialism/

As for the proverb, it's not actually it a Christian saying - the current form comes from Ben Franklin who didn't believe that God had any active role in people's lives.

http://www.fbcvilonia.com/sermons/lies/helps.htm