The Secret

"Nobody ever went broke overestimating the desperate unhappiness of the American public."
--Sara Nelson, editor of Publishers Weekly

   Since she pushed the book A Million Little Pieces, which turned out to be a big ol' pack of lies, I have taken everything Oprah promotes with a healthy dose of skepticism.
   Thus far, she has devoted two shows to The Secret, so I went on-line to see what I could see. After reading reviews calling it both a miracle and a silly mess of self-help piffle, I bought the book. Clearly, I would have to decide which was true.
    I have come to the conclusion both are. And both are not.
   The Secret is built on "The Law of Attraction." Simply put, we have the power to create reality with our thoughts and intentions with a three-step process: Ask the universe for something you really want, believe you already have it and receive it.
   Author Rhonda Byrne learned The Law through a book given to her at one of the lowest times of her life. Touched by the idea, she dove into extensive research and found evidence of this law at work as far back as the Babylonians in 3000 BCE and among highly respected Americans, like Henry Ford and Martin Luther King, Jr.
  Abraham, Jacob, David, Jesus, all rich and all prosperity teachers, according to Byrne, who cites both the words of Jesus, "Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." (Matthew 21:22) and Buddha, "All that we are is a result of what we have thought." by way of showing this teaching is part of virtually every religion.
   Among the 24 teachers whose words are scattered through the book, one even makes a connection to the tale of Aladdin and his magic lamp. The genie represents the Universe, responding to our every wish. Too much debt? Speak the language of wealth. Believe you already have it. Want a new motorbike? Think about one, believe you've  already received and - poof - it will appear.
  You get the idea.
  Presented without context, this raw belief remains mired in ego and calls forth the spectre of unintended consequences. Certainly our thoughts and emotions have a power we underestimate. But consider Byrne's strategy for weight loss. Visualize yourself at your perfect healthy weight. Then avoid looking at people who are overweight. As if those who weigh more than our cultural "ideal" aren't shunned often enough.
  While this slim volume speaks truth, like the importance of gratitude and the importance of a positive mind-set, the Law of Attraction elevates wealth, weight loss, a house, a nice car, a parking spot, the perfect mate. All good things. All wonderful things. And all so vastly beneath what a person could do with this power.
  Assuming the core belief is true, that we can create our reality with focused thought and intention, then why not encourage people to seek spiritual harmony or world peace? Why aren't readers urged to first share The Secret with others, to strive toward a level of spiritual vibration that will transform our culture, bring an end to violence and neglect and the kind of emotional pain that drives husbands to kill wives, mothers to kill children, or complete strangers to open fire in crowded marketplaces?
   There is some allusion to working for the greater good in the last few pages, but even then, the idea is presented as doing good because it raises your own vibration and helps the riches of the world pour forth.
   Byrne presents The Law of Attraction as divinely ordered, transformational. It has the power to change the world. I just wish she had spent more time encouraging people to look closely at the kind of world they want to see.