My mom is into "The Secret" (page 2)

Vidiot

"The Secret", "The Truth'...

...easy, quick-fix "solutions" that don't actually work.

Not surprising, really.

ttdtt

Ha thats funny - I guess the WT isnt the existential be all for everyone:)

In the 80's my mom was reading Dianetics :) Not a WT approved book:)
Funny - I guess cults are cults:)

JWdaughter

Maybe, just let this one go. We all have our hypocrisies and we all have to do whatever we can to get through the day. Christians would call it "grace" in your not challenging her on it.

However:

Encourage her to identify the things she wants to change and work to change it. Results are what she wants, not just the positive thinking-but the WT drones have been doing, doing, doing for over a century and have nothing to show for it. Show her how REAL productive activity has good results-and she can soon see the pointlessness of her unproductive busy work. We know as JWs that they will stick to an action or thought DEVOTEDLY. We also know that they will get nothing out of the WT corporation. Help her accomplish something real and don't address the magical thinking. Just let that be. Positive thinking won't hurt if she couples it with positive and PRODUCTIVE activity.

I'm just avoiding any kind of deep anything with my mom, she drives me batty. But she is my mom and I love her, so we need to find a peace. I keep trying to avoid all the tough things and it gets insane sometimes, but it isn't without value to work at peace even when we don't get along on some (or most!) issues. Sometimes peace means that we let things go that don't actually matter.

Diogenesister

Same bullshit different name.

Yeah, like a third world starving kid should just be thinking positive thoughts and bingo! He's the CEO of his own company.

Sickening

neverendingjourney

The JWs attract people who don't have fully developed reasoning skills. Or they prevent people who grow up in it from developing them.

That's why nonsense of this kind is also prevalent among the membership. Various multi level marketing scams made their way through my congregation. Herbs and "holistic medicine" is also big.

Many years ago I went with my mother to consult with a Witness who was married to an elder in a neighboring KH. She sold herbs of various kinds. She had my mother hold a bottle of herbs straight out, locking her elbow. She would then literally say out loud "Does she need 1 pill an hour?" and would push down on my mother's arm. She kept repeating that and adding one to the number of pills until she felt resistance. Supposedly this was the body telling her how high the dosage should be. It wasn't much different than going to see a witch doctor.

And all of this seemed normal to my mother. Hell, it seemed normal to me until I became a teenager and started being able to think for myself a bit.

sparky1

Jehovah's Witnesses love magical thinking. That's why they are religious nuts!

Witness 007

It works! I drive around the carpark thinking "positive vibes" and a car space opens up for me! Damn crap it's a disabled park!!. 😣

Worldling9

I agree that "The Secret" is pretty harmless compared to JW nonsense. Be aware though, that James Arthur Ray, one of the 'spiritual leaders' in "The Secret", went to prison after people died in one of his workshops. I wonder if he 'attracted' THAT.

It sounds like your mother's life is missing something, no matter how happy she pretends to be. Anything to keep herself out of reality.

NewYork44M

I am a strong believer in setting positive goals. I believe that goal setting is critical to a person's success.

I have also listed to tapes and read books from a few of the gurus on the topics. I especially like Brian Tracy. To help me get out of the deep depression as I was leaving the organization, I found his message of goal setting and positive thinking very helpful.

That being said, there is a limit. Just like anything else the message can turn very cult-like.

BlackWolf

Thanks for sharing your opinions. I don't think she is becoming a new ager, it's more like like this stuff just reinforces her current beliefs. I haven't really bothered her about it much, only one time when she was complaining that I was being "too negative" one day and that thinking that way would somehow harm me. That made me kind of angry and I told her I don't believe in that stuff, so then she got angry too.

Anyways, I guess I will just let it go for now. If she did become a new ager, although it is kind of ridiculous, I would actually be very happy. At least she would stop shunning family members. Unfortunately that will never happen (maybe if I think real positively it will? xD)

My mom is into "The Secret"

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