Oy vey! So my friend made me watch the "movie" The Secret last night. It's basically a movie about the concept of visualizing and how we can achieve anything we want if we just picture it and not think about the negative. Well, in those terms it is a good point; however, I felt the movie was definitely a ploy at people's sense of greed and power.
Not everyone is greedy or wishes to be powerful, most people just would like to have necessities in life which would make them feel a certain amount of abundance and have more joy in their lives.
Anyone who feels self important will enjoy this movie.
To me my life is important and after wasting so much of it in a mind altering cult (JW's) I say it's about time for me!
The movie tells you to visualize and believe. What about all of those people that audition for American Idol and truly believe they are the winner when there's not a snowball's chance in hell they'll get past the first round. Were they not believing enough?
A few interesting points about the movie:
1) There's a scene where someone is running late for work and they state that if you keep saying "I'm going to be late" you will be late. Well if you leave 15 mins late for work the universe isn't going to fix itself so that you can be on time. It's your own fault.
2) The movie states that no one has a purpose in life set out for them. Ten minutes later, they state that your purpose in life is to achieve everything you want.
3) They say negative people attract disease. Are they saying the all the people in Africa with AIDS attracted the disease because they are such negative people?
My experience that could have went on the video: A year ago I really wanted to drive a MINI. I determined I would get one in a couple years when my car loan's term is up. A couple months later, a person does a uturn infront of me and totals my car. A week later, I'm driving a MINI. So because I wanted the MINI so bad, the universe let the other drive make a stupid mistake and slam into my car. It's all to fatalist.
What are your thoughts?
I think you are missing the point with the American Idol analogy. Those singers are in a competition and they also know they could be one of the losers, possibly they are concentrating more on losing? How would one know what they are thinking? You are making the assumption that they are believers in The Secret here and applying the principals of it.
I haven't seen the movie yet but am going to reply by the seat of my pants on your assessments:
1) It's all about your focus. What you focus on is what you create, ask and it will happen.
2). I get from that we need to make our life our purpose and set goals and set about to achieve them. Famous saying (verbatim) those who fail to plan plan to fail.
3). Again a poor analogy. The people in Africa are victims of circumstances most of which they have little or no control over. It's common knowledge that negative/depressed people suffer more health related problems than those who have a positive outlook. A depressed person is at dis-ease within themselves which brings negative energies which brings disease. Ask and you shall recieve.
As far as your own experience with your auto accident and and replacing it with the car you had already decided in advance you wanted, well ask and you shall receive! Cool car btw!
I'm just now reading the book and have viewed some of the TV programs with the authors on it, it's no surprise to me that there will be naysayers in this there always are whenever something new comes out. It really makes no difference to me if people believe it works or not, it works for me, that is, the power of positive thinking and it's a much better way for me to live my life than the way I did when I was extremely depressed and suicidal.
I'm finding that The Secret is a new spin on an old concept but one in which I find fascinating. My first experience with this kind of concept was in reading Norman Vincent Peale's book The Results of the Power of Positive Thinking back in the early 90's a book I hid from the JW's! I loved that book so much I got his first book The Power of Positive Thinking which at the time I liked his viewpoints on God and his use of scripture. Now that I'm an Atheist I still find the principals easy enough to apply to my life without all the religious stuff.
Anyway I'm not in a hurry to buy the movie but some day will and I'm sure I'll find there are concepts which I can apply and some which I think are just not for me. I think people are making a lot out of the movie and the concepts but then again I have to realize it's a new idea to some of you younger peeps and it's all good. Live, learn and pass it on.
