What is "The Secret"? Some new-age mumbo-jumbo about just think positive and good things will happen to you because "Law of Attraction". What is law of attraction? It can summarized as "happy thoughts attract happy happenings (wealth, health, happiness)". Why? Some bogus reference to ether, mind transfer, "positive electrons", and other pseudo-science.
Now you ask, why is this important? The short answer: it isn't, except it appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show. And anything touched by Oprah (or her spawn, "Dr. Oz") automatically becomes a popular phenomenon... and often, they are absolutely bogus.
The author of "The Secret", Rhonda Byrne, basically rewrote Wallace Wattle's 1910 book "The Science of Getting Rich", and melded other lessons from authors that echoed similar sentiment such as Napoleon Hill. But whereas Napoleon Hill and others advocate action, Byrne advocates laziness. According to the law of of attraction, just THINKING positively means good things will happen to you... no action needed.
The Secret is so lame, it got made fun of in The Simpsons ("Bart Gets a 'Z'") and Family Guy ("Brian Writes a Bestseller")
But do you know WHY is The Secret so lame? Let a psychology professor explain it to you...
Professor Neil Farbar (M.D., Ph. D) explained in his particle for Psychology Today
1) Law of Attraction is not a law. It's metaphysical fantasy based on pseudo-science about "positive electrons", "ether transmission", intense thinking causing frequency vibrations, and other rah rah.
2) Multiple studies have shown that positive fantasies have actually DECREASED motivation and energy to achieve such, because they are already happy.
3) People who are happy are less likely to seek out and form meaningful relationships. This can have severe consequences for the rest of their lives.
4) Having no plans, you wouldn't even know what to do when good things start happening to you. Yet according to Byrne, having plans means you doubt the universe will give you what you want.
5) Taking no action means nothing will happen... merely things will happen to you. Yet again, according to Byrne, taking action means you doubt the universe. That is idiotic.
6) Setting no date means nothing will ever get done, yet again, that's what Byrne advocated.
7) Law of attraction also want you to not think about challenges. How can you solve problems along the way if you don't think about them?
8) Mindlessness. Basically, law of attraction wants you to think nothing. That helps with decreasing stress, but doesn't do anything about actually achieving the final goal.
9) Law of attraction also says don't help the poor, since that attracts "negativity". Also, don't talk to anybody ill or sick, since that "attracts" bad stuff into your life. WTF?!
10) Law of attraction also says you should not interact with other people with problems... if you are fat, do NOT join a support group, because you're inviting fat into your life. WTF?!?!
11) Law of attraction basically says if anything bad happened to you, it's your own fault for negative thoughts. WTF?!?!
12) Law of attraction also blames the victim: anything bad happened to anybody, it's their own fault for being negative. Byrne had been documented stating that the Tsunami victims "invited" the flood.
I don't even need the professor to say it. Law of attraction encourages doing nothing, thinking nothing but positive thoughts, need no friends, and expect good things to "just happen". It is utter bull****.
And somehow this just fits the MLM Douchebag mindset perfectly. But that's another blog post.
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