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McWriter's Reviews > The Secret
The Secret (The Secret, #1)
by
by
Ick. This book was just. So. Not believable. At the beginning, the author writes about the law of attraction, specifically that if you believe in something, it can happen - like, if you believe you will one day fall in love, marry, and have a family or if you believe you will succeed in education and earn your PhD, than, doggonit, you can.
It's as the book continues and the words change from "can" to "will definitely" that the author lost me. For example, if you want a certain amount of money, say $100,000 for a down payment on a home, and if you think about it totally positively, and mentally stamp out any negative thoughts, like, "Who am I kidding? I'll never have that money," then you WILL DEFINITELY get that money. And in a timely fashion. With no strings attached. Like magic.
The author lost me mid-book and I never finished. I want my money back. Oprah, I love ya, but this was a BAD recommendation. Even the biggest optimist has to get REAL at some point. (Easy for one of the richest, most powerful women in the world to fall for!) Come on, I say - COME the HECK ON!
It's as the book continues and the words change from "can" to "will definitely" that the author lost me. For example, if you want a certain amount of money, say $100,000 for a down payment on a home, and if you think about it totally positively, and mentally stamp out any negative thoughts, like, "Who am I kidding? I'll never have that money," then you WILL DEFINITELY get that money. And in a timely fashion. With no strings attached. Like magic.
The author lost me mid-book and I never finished. I want my money back. Oprah, I love ya, but this was a BAD recommendation. Even the biggest optimist has to get REAL at some point. (Easy for one of the richest, most powerful women in the world to fall for!) Come on, I say - COME the HECK ON!
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
August 1, 2007
–
Finished Reading
August 10, 2007
– Shelved
Now what does Jimmy Stewart have to do with The Secret? Well, it goes something like this...
The Secret tells us that all our problems are our own fault because of our negative thoughts. In other words, if I bleed to death because a random attacker stabs me in the heart, well, that's just my own negative thinking that killed me. Indeed, my negative thoughts invited the attack.
Per author Byrne, we can have any and all the white-man material crap we want so long as we shower with love all the people who have hated and humiliated and abused us; and just think happy thoughts.
But back to Jimmy. We all know Jimmy, right? Good old George Bailey. The Mr. Smith who went to Washington. He's a Hollywood icon, the 20th-century symbol of the sturdy small-town American who made, and kept, this country great.
Stewart had a career on stage and screen that spanned seven decades. He was also a genius at investment and made a pile of money in real estate. He sure must have known The Secret, right? Always thinking those gosh-darn positive thoughts and showering love on bad people and therefore making millions.
Well, good ol' Jimmy took time out from his career for a killing spree during WWII. He flew as many as 20 combat missions, including the bombing of factories in Germany. Now no one hates Nazis more than I do... but did Jimmy's bombs kill only those evil Nazis? Or did he also kill the janitor at the factory, or the women and children and babies nearby? Did The Secret give him a pass during his war career, a pass which made it okay to be a killer?
See my point? No, dear reader, "staying positive" in the 21st century is tantamount to, at best, wearing a blindfold; and at worst, ignoring the plight of your fellow humans. Nothing is gained by loving people who hurt you -- ask any abused spouse. And for God's sakes, belief is NOT a matter of will, and never has been; it's a matter of growth and understanding.
What freaking book should we expect next? "The Wand"? "Go now, out into your yard or alley, and pick up the first stick you find. Make of this your wand. Now wave this magic wand over your head and squinch your eyes shut real tight and wish for a Rolls Royce... then open your eyes! There it is! A brand new Rolls!"
Bite me, Byrne.