The Law of Attraction is not only Wrong; But Evil

In 2007, for the first time in history, the world's best selling book for a given year was neither the Bible nor the Koran. The profitable piece of literature is titled "The Secret," written by Rhonda Byrne, who also produced a film under the same title.

Searching on the Internet reveals that law of attraction websites mirror in controversy, subject matter, and discussion only behind that of Christianity, Islam, and atheism. I would go on to say "the movement" has become a religion in its own right. If you're a vivid YouTube junkie, you can't help but to accidentally stumble across personal law of attraction videos. The law of attraction, and "The Secret," have been actively promoted on day time television shows such as Oprah and Doctor Phil. The growing popularity of the law of attraction is unquestionable; however it's philosophies and results it has brought to the world leave much to be desired, and should be questioned.

The basic premise behind "The Secret" is that you are what you've attracted. That is to say; what comes to you is the result of your vibrational energy that you're releasing. The idea that you can use energy for healing purposes is certainly nothing new and isn't a secret. In fact, it's the basic foundation of ancient Chinese medicine, called "Chi." The Secret takes this concept a few steps further though. Rather than making the film what I at first thought could be an educational piece of material towards alternative medicine, The Secret suggests that you can achieve all of your heart's passions and desires through sheer thought, willpower, and positive thinking alone. Ironically enough, the film directs us on a low level energy materialistic plain that a part of my ethnicity would consider "bad medicine." Immediately, the film is contradicting their opening hypothesis. Not that I have anything against the acquisition of material wealth, however I can tell you from experience that focusing on the stuff you want isn't the best way to eventually acquire it. While such thinking on the short term may feel good; long term, you're leading yourself astray down a path of envy, disappointment, and emptiness.

The book also touts the virtues of visualizing your goals, a concept which I agree with, however the methods suggested are self-destructive. There exists no discussion in The Secret as to how a visionary can go about achieving his or her goals. In actuality, it's just the opposite, goal setting and planning is considered unattractive to the philosophy of the Secret because they believe it will "limit you."

The film and book also comes across as deceitful. One of the opening arguments is that there is a conspiracy amongst the wealthy and successful to keep "The Secret" hidden from the general public. The film then goes on to explain that for the first time in history, "The Secret" will be revealed to the public due to the virtuous psyche of the film producers. This demonstrated arrogance is blatantly false. This again represents a contradiction; if the wealthy became successful due to their energetic vibrations and positive thinking, how could it be kept in secret? Wouldn't they have to release this positive energy amongst the people and share such knowledge in order to benefit from it? How can they be attracting material through positive thinking if they keep the positive thinking amongst themselves? The theory is inconsistent.

In addition, it's false to state that the wealthy kept the knowledge amongst themselves in the past. While making the argument that The Secret is a conspiracy, the film shows a cut scene reminiscent of a 1940's human factory. I'm not going to pretend the world was a beautiful place in the 1940's, but as someone who has read a fair share of books from around that time period, I can tell you the wealthy were by far more open and practical in explaining to the general public how they achieved their success in contrast to today. Today, the wealthy (in general) come across as far more obscure and secretive as to how they achieved their success.

In the end, rich people are no different than other human beings. Some are social and want to tell the world their lives (and thus how they achieved their success), some are more private, and most rest somewhere in between only revealing bits and pieces. There's no "conspiracy amongst the rich" of the past to horde the knowledge that's "finally being revealed today." This is simply misinformation.

I could spend several hours listing the inaccuracies in the law of attraction philosophy and its biggest advocates, but disproving its scholastic merit is hardly my gravest concern. My biggest worry is that the philosophy is not only wrong; but harmful and dangerous to people.

1. This book will make you poor: It's ironic that a year after The Secret became world's best seller; the world subsequently went through the largest market collapse since The Great Depression in America (or The Great Hyperinflation in Germany depending on your perspective). Following the law of attraction's philosophies, more people believed in "the power of positive thinking" than ever before, therefore wealth should have miraculously increased by virtue of all the "positive energy" flowing around. Yet (barring a few exceptions) we all became poorer. Why?

Because we took positive thinking to the extreme. The philosophy of "just think about it long enough, hard enough, and it will be there" isn't reality. We must go out there and contribute something meaningful and productive to the world if we want to get ahead. At this present date, we have many people who want to get rich without having to work. They want to become an aristocracy. This is what "The Secret" is truly about; it appeases greatly to such individuals. The stock market is but a mere physical manifestation of people following the law of attraction. The abomination was created in part because many people dreamed of striking it rich by not having to lift a finger. Television shows of optimistic "economists" ran amok. And look where it led us? The truth of the matter is any market can only exist through the benefit of the productive; not the dreamers.

The fact of the matter is if you go into the world with the mentality of just dreaming to acquire stuff, money, hot women, hot men, etc. you'll be too focused on the stuff; and won't come up with any strategies on how to get there. Believe me, this mentality will make you file for bankruptcy every time.

2. This book will make you unkind: This book teaches you that there is no such thing as bad luck. This book teaches you to shun away from people that are less fortunate, arguing that they deserve it through rejecting the law of attraction. If you can't see the clever use of "self fulfilling prophecy" methods used by the authors in order to sell their ideas, you're truly daft. In addition, is dismissing people completely out of hand dispensing negative energy? I would say so. This book makes you lose your empathy; and shuts down potential doors people may have to offer you, had you not been so unkind. Your lack of empathy will squander opportunities you may have had to learn from all people, whether it's the homeless man on the street to all the way up to the C.E.O. Your mind becomes closed, rather than open.

3. This book will make you lose your humour: No longer can you simply laugh at all the bad things that may happen to you. Your capacity to shrug things off; and make use of a little harmless dark humour, dissipates when you take the philosophy of this book literally. The book instructs all that happens to you is the result of vibrational energy that you're attracting. This can lead to unhealthy paranoia as you introspectively contemplate how each and every inconvenience throughout your day may have been attracted. Because the law of attraction doesn't believe in randomness, you can no longer laugh at any randomness that may occur.

4. This book will make you unjust: Because you believe all that occurs to people is due to the law of attraction, there's no reason to burden yourself with thoughts of creating a just and equitable world. You're in the "blame the victim" mode. That woman who got raped, surely she must have attracted it? Those people in Japan who got nuked, surely it must have happened due to lack of positive thinking? Those kids who got senselessly killed in Norway, they were obviously debating politics, which isn't positive thinking, and therefore they deserved what was coming to them!

If I desired to be the world's most brutal dictator, I would broadcast The Secret video on every TV station, running 24/7. I would condition the people to psychologically accept the fact that everything is a result of their own thoughts and manifestations. Once the conditioning is complete, I would then unleash my dogs of war and subjugate them to brutal labour camps under the whip and a taser gun. The people shall not rebel, instead they will believe what's happening to them is the result of not having enough positive thinking. Not only will there no revolutions, but the guards may prove completely unnecessary. The moment a single slave speaks out against me, the mob will then tell him to shut up because it's not positive speech craft.

This book will make you unjust. Spending your time and energy to defend justice, and to combat injustice, is just too damn negative!

5. This book will make you treasonous: The book encourages you to separate yourself from people who you consider "too negative." This includes your friends and family. This is by it's very nature; treason. While there is something to be said for removing bad influences in your life, the idea of completely dismantling yourself from people who don't fully believe in this dogma is harsh.

The book teaches you to see relationships as a giant candy dispenser. If the wife is too sad or going through some rough times, get a new one! If that kid is being annoying because he's going through puberty, find another single woman, with another kid, and get a new family! If your friends don't feel like partying all night and just want to discuss their day to day problems, find another group of friends! If the boss is being a jerk because he’s had a rough day, quit that job that has worked for ten years; and gets a new one! If that reliable and hard working employee doesn't come to work everyday with a smile, fire her, and get a new employee!

6. This book will make your body suffer in sickness: This book is dangerous to your health. It contains several examples of people healing from cancer through positive thinking alone. It shows people with paralysis suddenly walking because they dreamed of walking. This is pure myth. Positive thinking has its effects in recovering from illness, however I fear this book may cause many people to skip going through the hardships and sacrifices necessary in order to get proper medical treatments. Why bother going through a painful rehabilitation program, if you can just think your way out of it? This is dangerous thinking for your health.

7. This book will make your mind suffer in sickness: This book is a danger to your sanity. Anything bad that happens to you, you'll believe it's the result of not trying hard enough to utilize the law of attraction. You could very well slip into a clinical depression or worse, even become suicidal. While your own confidence level is shot because you're busy blaming yourself for any misery that befalls you; your lack of empathy, kindness, treasonous nature, and apathy towards justice may lead you to become psychopathic.

Did you know that when Bob Proctor, one of the leading spokespeople for The Secret, was asked how the laws of attraction apply to the poor suffering children in Darfur going through genocide, he responded with the following: "This happened to the children in Darfur due to the lack of positive thinking." This is madness!

8. This book will make you undisciplined: Any moron can be positive when things are going swimmingly well. This is a reality that many privileged people throughout society have completely lost touch. What makes a strong character is showing tenacity. Having the ability to keep on going even when things go badly. I would go on to say this is the biggest key to success. None of this has to do with either positive or negative thoughts. A critical and tough minded person is more likely to persevere in such cases over an individual who just wants to be positive.

9. This book will make you irresponsible: It's ironic a book that so harshly promotes "everything that happens to you; you attract, others be damned," could lead to a lack of personal responsibility. However, if you take the time to analyze the philosophy, we'll see that it appeals to the irresponsible and the immature.

For starters, societal responsibility is completely discouraged in the book. It's all about the cult of the individual. Nowhere does the book explain that through your actions, you mould the society that we live in. You're not responsible when you turn the other cheek in the face of injustice. You're not responsible for the broken down relationships when you had to jump ships at the least sign of what you see as repulsive negativity.

On a more personal front, you'll never accept any responsibilities involved with trying to reach your goals. Much like the people who dreamed of getting rich through the stock market by merely thinking it, you'll dismiss the fact that it wasn't due to your lack of responsibility that brought you to this peril, but due to your lack of positive thinking.

The entire philosophy appeals to the immature. It's a Peter Pan complex.

10. This book will make you blind to evil: As I stated in another article, there is no such thing as good and evil feelings. The danger you run into by simply giving way to all "happy emotions and thoughts," while dismissing all "darker emotions and thoughts," is that you'll be unable to recognize evil. Contrary to what people will have you believe, evil triumphs not when it defeats good. Evil doesn't require good. Evil triumphs when enough people are convinced it simply doesn't exist. In order to identify evil, you must heed way to some of the most uncomfortable emotions and or thoughts. The Secret instructs you to steer away from such thoughts, arguing that they will bring you misery. The danger here is that your sensor to detect wrong doing will vanquish.

Now, returning back to that market crash in 2008, wake up! The wealth didn't exactly disappear, the wealth was stolen. However, due to being blinded by the philosophies of The Secret, many people are just unable to see it. I would go on to say that the book succeeded in its true intentions and goals.

11. Finally, this book will make you evil:

He who knows evil; is good.

He who understands evil; is evil.

He who rejects evil; is a servant of evil.

-Donovan D. Westhaver

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