The Law of Attraction is Bullshit
The Law of Attraction is definitely, well, an attractive thought. It essentially says you can get anything you want if you just WANT it enough! And who can’t do that? No one. So anyone can get anything.
Unfortunately, though it’d be a nice trick, the world simply doesn’t work the way it’s described in books (and movies) like The Secret, so I’d like to take a few minutes to tell you why the Law of Attraction is bullshit, why you should laugh it out of your life, and then why (and how) you can succeed anyway.
Since the Law of Attraction was most recently made popular by the book/movie The Secret, let’s start there.
First, consider 3 main pivot-points on which The Secret is based:
- If you know what you want, ask the universe for it, visualize it being yours, and be open to receiving it and letting go of the outcome, you will get what you want.
- The Law of Attraction is based on quantum physics.
- There is plenty of evidence to support the existence of the Law of Attraction.
Looking at this above 3 arguments, it’s easy to understand why so many people have been taken by The Secret’s claims. Each of them seems logical and rational individually, and together they seem to make a pretty strong argument that the Law of Attraction is the real deal. Unfortunately, each and every one of these points is an exaggeration at least, and an outright lie at most.
Consider:
- If you know what you want, ask the universe for it, visualize it being yours, and be open to receiving it and letting go of the outcome, you will get what you want. Sadly, this is not true. Simply knowing what you want and asking the universe for it will not make it so. Who would be fulfilling these wishes? On what basis would they choose which to fulfill and which to ignore? If you asked for something that contradicted what someone else asked for, whose wish would win? It’s all just wishful thinking.
- The Law of Attraction is based on quantum physics. Saying that the Law of Attraction is based on quantum physics is a slap to the face for anyone who knows anything about quantum physics, has ever worked in a scientific field, or has either one of their feet planted in reality.A popular trick among hucksters and thieves is to give legitimacy to their product by claiming it has scientific backing. If someone used a fairly well understood scientific principle to explain their product (‘your hair will grow back if you want it to, due to the scientific powers of helium!’), they’d be likely exposed as frauds when someone brought forth numbers that clearly showed them to be incorrect. If a new, still misunderstood principle is used, however, who’s going to contradict you? One of the scientists that are still struggling to explain how and why the principle works? Doubtful.
And the double-whammy is that new scientific principles often have an air of the magical about them. When humans first harnessed the power of the atom, everything was ‘atomic’ and when cavemen first developed fire, no doubt every enterprising Neanderthal was hitting the streets, selling ‘fire-clubs’ and ‘fire-rocks,’ despite the lack of fire involved with either product. The long and the short is that there is no evidence that quantum physics has anything to do with energy created by thoughts etc etc etc. This is pure fantasy, and not even original fantasy. It was most-recently written about by Rhonda Byrne (The Secret), though it was not created by her (more about this below).
- There is plenty of evidence to support the existence of the Law of Attraction.The only ‘evidence’ that exists to support the Law of Attraction is anecdotal. For the uninitiated, this means that the only thing holding this whole scam above water is the testimony of people who say that it worked for them.Let’s take a moment to think about this: you see people testifying that products and services work for them all the time…do you believe those people who are paid to talk about their alleged success stories on infomercials? What’s more is that anecdotal evidence is in no way scientific. The scientific method involves making predictions and having testable results.
Like séances, miraculous conception, exorcisms and the myriad other mystical claims before them, the Law of Attraction is untestable and un-falsifiable (there’s no way to prove that it isn’t happening, but also no way to prove that it is happening, which is a logical fallacy), which means that it is eminently unscientific (and unsupportable by anything except the statements of people who may or may not be paid by the people who are selling the books and DVDs).
The long and the short of this is that the Law of Attraction is a nice thought, but at the end of the day is a scam like any other. It’s a clever scam, and one that has taken in more intelligent people than any other scam I’ve seen before, but it’s a scam nonetheless (I would argue that The Secret especially was targeted specifically at intelligent people, what with its focus on achievement and science and human potential; all touch points for the influencers of the world).
Interestingly enough, The Secret was not the first hoax to make use of the Law of Attraction in order to sell product. It’s not even the first book to do so! Back in the first decade of the 1900′s, William Walker Atkinson wrote a book called Thought Vibration of the Law of Attraction in the Thought World which, as the title implies, is about the Law of Attraction as it is explained in The Secret. Thirty years later, Napoleon Hill wrote Think and Grow Rich – a book that remains to this day one of the bestselling books of all time — in which he describes a method for controlling your own thoughts, the energy they contain (which can attract other thoughts) and how to use this knowledge to get what you want. These are not nearly the only times the Law of Attraction has been used to sell books in the past, but they are two of the most prominent.
It should be noted that every time this hoax has been used in the past, the scientific community has ousted it from prominence shortly after its inception into the mainstream public. The same, unfortunately, has not happened yet for its most recent inception (though that’s been the media’s fault more than representatives of the scientific community…publishers and producers have much better PR people than do quantum physicists).
The really strange part of this entire movement is that, in a lot of ways, the Law of Attraction IS REAL. True, it has nothing to do with thought energy or quantum physics or anything hokey like that, but there is reason to believe that focusing on what you want will help you achieve it. You know why? Because when you focus on something, you consciously and subconsciously up your game in relation to that objective. If you really want a new car, and you spend all your free time thinking about it, even during the dull moments at work when you really just want to quit, you will make decisions that will move you closer to getting that car (keeping the job, taking on extra hours) whether you see it that way at the moment or not. That’s human nature, not magic (and definitely not quantum physics).
“But Colin,” you may be thinking, “if there actually IS something to this whole Law of Attraction thing, even if the books lie about why it works the way it does, why does it matter what mechanism achieves that end? Are you just a hateful person trying to rain on my parade?”
No, dear reader, I’m not a hateful person, and I really, really hate raining on peoples’ parades. I do, however, firmly believe that allowing ourselves to become disconnected with cause and effect and reality is a very dangerous thing, for ourselves and for our continued success in the material world.
Think about it: something that is magic is unchangeable and unquestionable. It just happens. It’s magic. You can react to it, but not do much about it otherwise. Something that’s scientific, on the other hand, is infinitely malleable; it can be studied, understood and changed to suit our needs. To call something magic when really it’s just complicated is doing everyone an injustice because it’s spreading the acceptance of willful ignorance and therefore hobbling our future efforts to understand the world and make positive changes.
A world full of mystics won’t invent the next big technological breakthrough or cure AIDS; all they would be able to do is sit back, hope real hard and watch as everyone around them slowly dies, totally unable to comprehend why.
What do you think about the Law of Attraction? Skeptic? Convert? Am I totally right? Dead wrong? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Please this law of attraction BS is exactly that....B...S.....THINGS happen for a REASON. They dont happen by accident. They dont happen because you had happy thoughts. They happened because it was MEANT to happen. Good things happen, and overall shit happens. You either have luck or no luck. You either have a good day or a bad day. If this LOA REALLY worked, my business would be sky rocketing, instead its turning into a complete waste of my time, and people all over the world would be "asking the universe for things and getting whatever their hearts desired." We arent 5 years old people. We do not live in a fantasy world where if we believe in things it will come to us. I'm going to steal a line from Bruce Almighty, A single mom who's working two jobs, and still finds time to take her son to soccer practice, that's a miracle. A teenager who says "no" to drugs and "yes" to an education, that's a miracle. People want me to do everything for them. What they don't realize is *they* have the power. You want to see a miracle, son? Be the miracle.
So in other words, you want stuff? YOU have to the HOW you get it. The universe isnt going to hand it to you on a silver platter. You want things? You want a miracle....BE your own MIRACLE. BE your own UNIVERSE.
Another thing...Law of Attraction is the perfect tool to brainwash people. It gets people to ignore the news and become passive, happy saps. Law of Attraction tells you that you don't need to stick up for yourself or fight for something wrong because your thoughts will do all the work. LOA is the perfect way to get a mass of people brainwashed. It actually upsets me that people get away with this crap and that other people buy into it.
Alrighte33 Amen brother, Amen. The "Law" of Attraction is one of the worst things to ever possibly happen. Were it to gain control, anyone "Negative" would be executed, and the world plunged into another dark age, or rather a "Manifesting age."
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It's a SCAM, SCAM< SCAM!! I will go as far as to say it's a cult. Law of Attraction tries to wipe out human emotion; we have negative feelings for a reason. We would not survive if we did not follow our "bad" thoughts or feelings. We would not have art or progression without pain and the negative thoughts that LOA blames for our unhappiness. This is a scam people, stay away,...trust me. I was once heavy into it, even went to an Abraham Hicks seminar with a friend and spent $200 on the tickets to see this egomaniac speak in person about LOA. Ester Hicks and her husband Jerry are true scam artists. They use the good ole' "blame the victim" tactic, because if you don't get what you want it's YOUR fault; apparently you did not think enough good thoughts. So...if your family gets murdered by a drunk driver, apparently you are doing something wrong and were not thinking enough good thoughts. LOA falls into cult thinking and it blurs your perception on reality.
hello, i would just like to put this video out for all the skeptics to see...
and like some people have said one this blog already, it doesn't work with sitting on your empty fat ass on your couch in front of the tv, but it's only about the way you feel and the way you think about yourself, and that's why you can achieve greater things you've ever believed you could achieve just by believing it, therefore going for it on full throttle... just my 2 cents :)
oh and here's the video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzYC_hiIP6o&fea...
to mister true indigo, think your 1,000,000 USD is gonna slip outta your fingers right into this dude's palm, right?
And just like the "Secret," all you provide is strictly anecdotal evidence from someone. All I can ascertain from this is that he managed to get $10,000 (And I'm not even sure of that!) There's a myriad of other factors that play into this: Luck, desire, motivation, etc. Occam's Razor would say he put his mind to something and he got it. And he was lucky too. Lot of people put their minds to things and get nothing. Nothing spiritual or mysterious about it.
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The Principle is by far the best book debunking the LoA, with one exception. It not only proves the LoA doesn't exist using it's own source documents, it actually has some interesting things to say about how the universe creates through the scientific principle known as emergence, or spontaneous self-order. However, anyone who can prove the LoA exists can "attract" $1,000,000USD, which is the cash prize offered for conclusive proof the LoA exists in any form. Interestingly, no one has even tried. And you thought this was a soft economy? If you need lots of ways of debunking the LoA just see www-the-principle.com
Some time ago, I inquired with my local psychic on this matter. She said something like, 'Your heart chakra's completely closed off'.
I noticed some people around me getting what they want and become successful in their area of life while it simply just doesn't work for me. I've tried and failed at numerous job interviews and internet businesses, obtaining nothing above min wage. Why is this? I 'feel' passion about the pursuit I'm embarking on yet it still doesn't happen. People say, 'Oh, you have to try harder, your not FEELING it enough, think positive...etc.' Yet, I've tried to think positive and it still doesn't happen. Why is that?
I believe people can and do create their own realities....but here's the rub: One has to have a basis already IN reality to create it upon. If one's a good auto mechanic and has the capital to invest in a shop and is well-known for his work in the community, then there's a good chance he'll succeed...within reason. Having said that, I know I'm a young, smart and ambitious man with computers and my writing yet I still have yet to obtain steady pay from working online. It hasn't happened yet. Perhaps because I don't have the social supports in place or no one knows about me, not too many people anyway. Maybe that's my problem, I'm not a very outgoing person.
I believe one can create success but it has to be reality based. One can't just visualize 'me - $100,000' and presto, voila! No. One has to have a realistic way of achieving that goal and in this shitty economy it's very hard to be self-made.
Since the dawn of times people have been manipulated by unscrupulous con
artists, appealing to basic human needs - money,love,emotions. Like the
Greatest Trio-religion,politics, television, the LOA is not any law, but a clever
manipulation.It is common sense, that when you focus on something, work
hard for it, want it badly enough, you are increasing highly the odds of achieving
it, but the results are not guaranteed, unless it has been God's plan.
Just do your best and leave it in God's hands!
The only thing I know is that the LoA is responsible for most of the troubles in my 5-year relationship. It has became in a sort of religious for my boyfriend. I feel that most of the time I'm talking to a sombie who is totally absorbed by dvds, audiobooks and posts on the wall about LoA. The funny thing is, that over the years, he hasn't obtained what he wants. The few goals he has reached, I personally think that a focused person could obtain them without putting all your time, energy and concentration on those books.
If that law really can change people's minds in order for them to achieve what they want, why don't they share that knowledge in Africa among people with real problems? why don't the creators of those books try to find the way to share the law for free? Is it all about making money out of people's dreams?
glafaurie20 I wrote a book for people suffering under this cult. The title is The Principle. I offer a $1,000,000USD prize to anyone who can prove the LoA exists in any form. All he has to do is prove what he believes exists and voila, he can "attract" a million dollars. By the way, no one has to date even attempted this. But for you, The Principle will give you lots of information taken from the LoA's own source documents that show it's completely made up. Cheers.
I agree 100%.
The only thing the "law of attraction" has accomplished, is to get my nagging wife off my ass.
Which I can't say is a bad thing and I've certainly desired it a long time Hmmmm. 'Nah never mind.'
My main concern is not the positive aspects. Go ahead and believe if you visualize it, it comes true. Fool yourself into thinking plans aren't important (although they end up making plans, hence the anecdotal evidence saying it's true).
My concern is the negative part of it: If you have cancer, many of them say it's your fault. According to this mumbo jumbo, you caused yourself to get cancer because of some negative thought at some point in your life. Don't think I'm making this up, though. I have a friend who believes this, and he and his Law of Attraction buddies all tell me that it's true. If you have any disease, it's your own fault.
Don't be taken in, people. It's another blame game scam.
i think the article is correct considering the fact that people naturally want things and try to get them. These people just named it "the law of attraction" and it immediately becomes a product. It is human nature to desire and to try get, all they saying is dont stop trying.
You are totally right and I applaud you for saying so....focusing on goals, taking steps to make them happen and believing they are possible will bring you closer to the goal....encouraging people in bad situations to think good thoughts is apathy and it makes people good, gullible consumers and it's dangerous.
It is all about the power of thought….
The problem is that most of people has no power and has no thought
Read Castaneda books for good thoughts on magiс:)
Pf, You got it wrong, You change inside, so does your reality.
If the thought of getting a job never came to your head, would you ever get one? NO! So you do actually have to "think" about what your want. You have over 60,000 thoughts a day they can be changed. The LOA makes you money conscious. Your pretty much learning how to hypnotize yourself.
Thank you. Best article I've seen on this bullshit so far.
All I know is that it has been working for me. It's not about being lazy and sitting on your ass. It's not about positive thinking either. All I know is that every time I think of something and follow the other 10 Laws of the Universe (LOA is only one out of 11 Laws) I get it. I get this stuff without hurting myself financially, without putting my family at risk. Just recently, I got a BMW with all the options and features I've ever wanted in it - I've been wanting one for like 20 years but always figured it was for other people - not me. Then after reading up on LOA and the other laws I tried an experiment which within only 2 weeks got me a 335xi, black interior/exterior with a navigation system. And this is only one thing. I've been getting money, plasma televisions, exciting projects at work. And I can tell you, I'm not sitting on my ass, I've always been a hard worker. It's just that things seem to come easier to me these days. Say what you will but it seems to work for me.
Great! Here's an opportunity for you. If you can prove this you can collect $1,000,000USD. The Principle (www.the-principle.com) invites anyone to prove it exists. If you can, you can "attract" a million dollars. BTW: no one has ever tried. And you thought this was a soft economy? The Principle shows why the LoA is completely invented using its own source documents. Using its own SOURCE documents. You can read them yourself. And win a million dollars.
i never did this stuff but i know from experience that any time i've wanted something i went out and did something about it- with no success whatsoever. i failed each and every time and YES, i tried different ways of achieving it. and NO, the knowledge that 'at least i tried' is no consolation. but nevertheless i never was tempted by this 'secret' bullshit. i just gave up. and NO, things don't come to you when give up.
I think that if it's taken too literally it can be really dangerous. It could potentially turn people into couch potatoes who think they have a cause. But on the flip side, visualization I think has its benefits. Believing in something and constantly striving for a goal does inch you closer, I think. If you're in a certain mindset, you begin to see things through a different lens, and catch opportunities that you might not have seen before. I've never seen
The Secret
but as inspiring as it might be, I would never advise anyone to sit down and believe that things happen.
I know that the power of attraction works. My mother always told me that what you put out into the universe, you get back. Not that just because my mother said it, its true, but think about it- the law of attraction isn't stating that you throw your wishes out into the wishing well of the atmosphere its saying that you figure out exactly what you want and BELIEVE wholly that you can have it. I don't know anything about quantum physics, but I know alot about something called "game". I know plenty of guys that are unattractive, do not have money, and still somehow have handfuls of willing females. Mostly, its an air of confidence, a mojo that no one knows what to call. They simply know that what they want can come true and because they are sure of themselves and decisive enough to decide what they want, they get it.
well. interesting viewpoint indeed.
what i find funny is the contradictory nature of this post. how you say the law of attraction isn't real, but in the same post you say it is.
you say the books written on the subject present a hoax, but that focusing on your desires WILL bring you closer to them.
the thing is, these books present the same argument you do (you just have to actually read them to find that out). they claim that by focusing on your desires, your subconscious mind will take root in them and force your conscious mind to find a way to obtain them.
that is the premise of think and grow rich ( a fact anyone who has actually read the book would be aware of).
the secret does focus on a different part, but i don't believe it is as hokey as you claim.
quantum mechanics (not physics) is a concept that believes that the universe is essentially molded by man's mind. the idea is that our thoughts actually do have a physical impact on the universe at a molecular level. this was illustrated by the works of Masaro Emoto with his water molecule experiment.
now, a large portion of the scientific community does dispute his findings. sure, perhaps it isn't likely that we can shape water molecules to look like specifically esthetically pleasing shapes with certain TYPES of thoughts...but, we cannot ignore the fact that the molecular structure DID CHANGE after human thought was focused on it.
so, some in quantum mechanics believe that the universe cannot exist without the mind being a part of it. i am definitely not that radical, but i do believe that our thoughts can have a physical impact. even if in no other way than creating a neuro-peptide, the fact that a physical change occurs when focused thought is applied says a lot.
then we move into the butterfly effect. if you believe that change on a microscopic level can lead to a domino effect of change on the macroscopic level....you have the premise of the secret.
really not that far off from a scientific premise, and certainly not a hoax.
just a thought.
Colin, You hit it right on the head with this article. I have been exploring my own reasoning which is "the moment is now", meaning the only thing that matters is what's happening right now. Not the past, not the future.
Being open to ask the universe what we want, or surrounding us with like people, is in a way brainwashing ourselves into thinking what we want to believe, and it's that's what someone needs to accomplish something... good for them. But the only thing that matters is the moment of now, and we control it. We make things happen, We change things... that is the magic that we have.
Jeff in New York City
otherwise know as
http://www.usheronbroadway.com
The only thing i can agree about the LOA is the power of positive thinking. But it stops there. If you want something in life, you work for it. Simple.
I mean, if you channel negative energy, sure, that's not gonna help your day. But asking the "universe" for your dream house or porche or celebrity-to-be-bride, you have a better chance in believing the return of Jesus Christ.
"The Secret" is full of shit, and only the primitive and gullible would even dare try believing in it. What a bunch of silly nonsense.
What always bothered me about the Secret is how the author, Rhonda Byrne, goes on and on, in any interview or review, and even in the first pages of the book about how "all I wanted to do is share this knowledge with the world!"
Now, there are LOTS of ways to share your knowledge with the world. Build a webpage, create a newsletter, host a show, etc. All. For. Free.
So why is it, after declaring so vehemently that all she wanted to do was share this with the world, did she do so with a $30 book, or a $30 movie? No book the size of a coaster should cost $30. Bibles are free, and there's a lot more to go on in that.
That was enough proof for me to detect a scam.
My best friend was talking to me about the Law of Attraction. Thanks for the points I'll definitely be taking them to heart! Thanks Colin
What I find most ridiculous about LOA in general, and The Secret, specifically, is that they package the information as a "program" to help you achieve life goals and possessions. Where they really get their kicks is that they can deny responsibility if it doesn't work. Their excuse is that you just didn't want it enough, so therefore, it can't be yours. Scam artists, albeit, rich scam artists.
They must have done some great visualization of duping a large population!
Haha, yes, if it would be true, everyone would be everyone and have everything, i believe that the law of attraction is just an another tool that our already designed life uses to achieve the curves.
positivity is over rated. Almost everything I've accomplished that I am proud of was motivated by mild irritation or dissatisfaction with my life as it was.
Law of attraction is really no "secret." I think it's a valid process for us to achieve what we want. However, it's not everything. I remember a few years ago this actor was hovering over me in a bar and was talking about how "The Secret" changed his life and now he can get anything he desires. He was so creepy and wouldn't stop bothering me. Quite frankly, I think people misinterpret what it means and take it too far. It's really a simple philosophy: Think about what you want, keep visualizing it and believe you will achieve it. Simple.
You went a bit overboard here and denounced a system without understanding what inferences it's making. The law of attraction is a psychological system, NOT a physical system. Yeah, the whole quantum physics part is total and complete crap, but books like Think and Grow Rich do not say that the systems do not require action. They simply push the "thought proceeds action" idea. So, IE - Get your thoughts in the correct direction. That's it. That's all.
Actually, it's a psychological system that transcends to a paranormal system when it claims that your thoughts attract something or circumstances to you from outside of yourself. If a desired effect requires action, LOA sure has no problem claiming that an undesired effect requires just a thought with no action. A bit lopsided?
Like any principle or equation there will be positive and negative aspects. Things to dispute and things to agree with.
What hits me about this particular article and others like it is that it criticizes the Law of Attraction as being anecdotal, unreferenced, and without scientific backing, but then then the rebuttal is...anecdotal, unreferenced, and without scientific backing. So we are all on a forum taking each others word for it.
There is also nothing substantial to say that going after something and putting a lot of stress and work into it will manifest it into reality as well. In fact, it seems that stress related illness and heart disease being on the rise would be adequate evidence to disprove the rebuttal. Would you rather be at home living off the government and smiling or deteriorating your heart and mind by working too hard?
Psychology, which over 100 years ago was not a science, is now shown to be a means of improving well-being, but is based upon principles that are ancient. Einstein's theory of relativity (which still isn't law, which is one thing I really don't like about it..it needs to lose the title) is proving that matter, time and space, are not at all what we thought they were. There are invisible forces at work that science is just beginning to understand. In the meantime, see the Law of Attraction as a social science study on positive thinking and hope someone will do a study on it's validity. Until then, if it works, go with it, if it doesn't, do something else. But lets try not to generalize principles and resolve to dismissing things just because it doesn't appeal to us. But I don't think scam, is a fair...I honestly think that the people who believe in the Law of Attractions intentions are good. No one's trying to hurt anyone else.
People can not explain alot of things, such as our creation, aliens, god, the universe. We can speculate but we dont have the evidence on any of this. Religon is just a book of stories, with no physical evidence. Just like the law of attraction. It is something that works for the believers and does not work for the non believers, just like anything else. Everyone is entitled to their own opinon, but at least the Law of Attraction is creating a more positive world, in a much easier way. Don't debunk something you can not explain yourself. There are so many things we dont understand as a human race, it would be crazy to say this is right and this is wrong, just because you do not fully understand what this world is.
Just as we can definitively say that combining hydrogen and oxygen doesn't make piss, we can absolutely say that wishing for something doesn't make it happen.
faith is powerful. for someone like you it is almost impossible to enter the gates of heaven. Which people like you think its intelligent and elitist to trick themselves into thinking those gates don't exist either. Like my mother says: If you don't believe in God or Heaven, you best start believing in hell
I saw a hooptie old Ford Tempo that was completely covered in surface rust driving down the interstate with a bumper sticker that said "Caution: Law of Attraction is in effect"
I almost crashed my own vehicle I was laughing so hard, LOA is a joke.
You are dead right! I have never been so happy to come across a piece of literature. As a born skeptic/cynic/pessimist, the guidelines of "the secret" actually bog me down rather than bring me up. And might I add, my negative energy has achieved me a number of things!
I was fucking misserable for 3 years trying this shit, really fucked up alot of things in my life believing it. I urge people not to be drwn in by the false promises. If you want something work for it, if you wonna do something do it, sitting on your ass hoping shit will go right doesnt work. these rich manipulative fucks need to feel whats its like to be on the other side of the spectrum and see if their lie of a law fucking works.
If it sounds like i'm pissed its because i am! I chose to follow the shit but it angers me looking form the outside in now how they prey on peoples emotions hopes and feelings, and stripping them of these whilst getting rich off them.
I had to reach rock bottom to realise what crap it really was, please learn from me, this is bullcrap(to quote cartman, hehe)
Life is pure bliss without this!!!
The Principle is the best book to debunk the whole LoA, and it uses its own source documents to prove it. Baseless invention. But, there is actually a scientific basis of manifestation known as emergence, or spontaneous order. It explains how everything from galaxies to songs come about and possess interconnectivity and behavior. Plus, anyone who can prove the LoA exists can "attract a $1,000,000 prize. So far, no one has even attempted it. www.the-principle.com
I was into the law of attraction for 4 years...Worse 4 years of my life.LOA teaches people to be afraid of their thoughs and feelings,and worse it makes people try to control them,which will only leave someone frustrated and down.GUARANTEED.
you are absolutely right
See www.the-principle.com. Debunks the LoA completely.
There's a lot us humans do not understand. I have witnessed the law of attraction. This came about during a time when I was in a very excited state. I was excited about visiting my family. It was a miracle what happened.
Who cares? The fact is alot of people are making plans to better their lives and feeling generally happier. I also scond the notion that the physics aspect is offensive, however, I think the positive brainwashing aspect of the dvd is useful. I was given it by my new age stepfather, and it helped me get the confidence to realise what I wanted and to write a business plan. And the thing is, it is human nature to try and achieve, but it's also part of what the whole thing is saying: you plan what you want - look for it - think about it all the time - and you'll probably find it. How do you think people achieve anything? Through planning and enthusiasm.
you attrac what you are inside - so go and have a look there to find your convictions and old believes....such as this does not work....
Thanks for your insight, albeit poorly written. (even spelling errors?)
I recommend you take the new college course "How to thank someone and criticize them at the same time 101."
Analysys:
You used a half of sentence to thank.
You used a half of sentence to critic.
Albiet you even used improper grammer to ask a question. e.g (Why the parenthesis to ask a question?)
Be Constructive!
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Great thoughts Colin! I wrote something along similar lines way back when I read Napoleon Hill’s book. I think it is true that you become that which you think about most. Concentrating on something is just the start though, but you have to have the dedication to achieving it driving your actions as well.
Great thoughts Colin! I wrote something along similar lines way back when I read Napoleon Hill’s book. I think it is true that you become that which you think about most. Concentrating on something is just the start though, but you have to have the dedication to achieving it driving your actions as well.
Great thoughts Colin! I wrote something along similar lines way back when I read Napoleon Hill’s book. I think it is true that you become that which you think about most. Concentrating on something is just the start though, but you have to have the dedication to achieving it driving your actions as well.
Thanks for the feedback, Cody! It’s definitely important not to leave out that oh-so-important ‘doing something’ phase. So many people are just looking for an easy out, though, so it makes sense the the Law of Attraction became such a craze.
Thanks for the feedback, Cody! It’s definitely important not to leave out that oh-so-important ‘doing something’ phase. So many people are just looking for an easy out, though, so it makes sense the the Law of Attraction became such a craze.
Thanks for the feedback, Cody! It’s definitely important not to leave out that oh-so-important ‘doing something’ phase. So many people are just looking for an easy out, though, so it makes sense the the Law of Attraction became such a craze.
Awesome. And by the way, your latter argument about “how the Law of Attraction IS REAL” is the exact same reasoning my mom used to give me about why we prayed. Yeah, she’s a scientist.
“Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it.” -Neils Bohr
Awesome. And by the way, your latter argument about “how the Law of Attraction IS REAL” is the exact same reasoning my mom used to give me about why we prayed. Yeah, she’s a scientist.
“Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it.” -Neils Bohr
Awesome. And by the way, your latter argument about “how the Law of Attraction IS REAL” is the exact same reasoning my mom used to give me about why we prayed. Yeah, she’s a scientist.
“Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it.” -Neils Bohr
Pierresplace says: I’ve always considered visualization as an integral function of the mind and have used it to achieve. I do agree that yes, to visualize something, that is to think of it constantly and alot, imbues the subconscious with it and when other thoughts and activities arise, that this focal point remains. We do the things that will bring us closer to the goal as well, yes. It’s simply a focal point. Just like writing down our goals which I actually do not practice because I feel like when making a list of things to do, those thoughts leave our consciousness. We have assigned them to a piece of paper, or PDA or whatever.
I don’t underestimate the powers our minds possess, we know far too little of it’s powers at best, however, I agree with the comments about “The Secret” I posted some contrary comments on their You Tube page and they removed them and would not engage in healthy intellectual banter with me neither, lol. I also pointed out to them that this material is no new revelation at all and that they’re taking advantage of those unfamiliar with the literature and history. However, belief does have a magical property to it.
…Pierre…
Pierresplace says: I’ve always considered visualization as an integral function of the mind and have used it to achieve. I do agree that yes, to visualize something, that is to think of it constantly and alot, imbues the subconscious with it and when other thoughts and activities arise, that this focal point remains. We do the things that will bring us closer to the goal as well, yes. It’s simply a focal point. Just like writing down our goals which I actually do not practice because I feel like when making a list of things to do, those thoughts leave our consciousness. We have assigned them to a piece of paper, or PDA or whatever.
I don’t underestimate the powers our minds possess, we know far too little of it’s powers at best, however, I agree with the comments about “The Secret” I posted some contrary comments on their You Tube page and they removed them and would not engage in healthy intellectual banter with me neither, lol. I also pointed out to them that this material is no new revelation at all and that they’re taking advantage of those unfamiliar with the literature and history. However, belief does have a magical property to it.
…Pierre…
Pierresplace says: I’ve always considered visualization as an integral function of the mind and have used it to achieve. I do agree that yes, to visualize something, that is to think of it constantly and alot, imbues the subconscious with it and when other thoughts and activities arise, that this focal point remains. We do the things that will bring us closer to the goal as well, yes. It’s simply a focal point. Just like writing down our goals which I actually do not practice because I feel like when making a list of things to do, those thoughts leave our consciousness. We have assigned them to a piece of paper, or PDA or whatever.
I don’t underestimate the powers our minds possess, we know far too little of it’s powers at best, however, I agree with the comments about “The Secret” I posted some contrary comments on their You Tube page and they removed them and would not engage in healthy intellectual banter with me neither, lol. I also pointed out to them that this material is no new revelation at all and that they’re taking advantage of those unfamiliar with the literature and history. However, belief does have a magical property to it.
…Pierre…
I’m definitely inclined to agree with you, especially in the last bit about how focusing on what you want can help you step up your game in regards to actually getting it.
That, in my experience, is The Secret – it’s getting past all the thought patterns that tell you why you *can’t* have something, and moving yourself towards realizing that you *can.* Once you’re there, it’s much easier to let yourself relax and move towards the goal. And I’ve found it’s much easier to achieve goals when you’re relaxed about getting there instead of constantly struggling about why you haven’t gotten there yet.
My thought on the Secret has always been that it’s coming from a place of trying to prove its validity to a skeptical world. If you or I go around saying, “hey, just think positive thoughts and relax, and you’ll be able to reach your goals more easily,” and the average person will think you’re an idiot hippie. But throw some talk of quantum physics into the mix, and those same people start thinking, “hey, it’s sciency, so it must be true.”
I’m definitely inclined to agree with you, especially in the last bit about how focusing on what you want can help you step up your game in regards to actually getting it.
That, in my experience, is The Secret – it’s getting past all the thought patterns that tell you why you *can’t* have something, and moving yourself towards realizing that you *can.* Once you’re there, it’s much easier to let yourself relax and move towards the goal. And I’ve found it’s much easier to achieve goals when you’re relaxed about getting there instead of constantly struggling about why you haven’t gotten there yet.
My thought on the Secret has always been that it’s coming from a place of trying to prove its validity to a skeptical world. If you or I go around saying, “hey, just think positive thoughts and relax, and you’ll be able to reach your goals more easily,” and the average person will think you’re an idiot hippie. But throw some talk of quantum physics into the mix, and those same people start thinking, “hey, it’s sciency, so it must be true.”
I’m definitely inclined to agree with you, especially in the last bit about how focusing on what you want can help you step up your game in regards to actually getting it.
That, in my experience, is The Secret – it’s getting past all the thought patterns that tell you why you *can’t* have something, and moving yourself towards realizing that you *can.* Once you’re there, it’s much easier to let yourself relax and move towards the goal. And I’ve found it’s much easier to achieve goals when you’re relaxed about getting there instead of constantly struggling about why you haven’t gotten there yet.
My thought on the Secret has always been that it’s coming from a place of trying to prove its validity to a skeptical world. If you or I go around saying, “hey, just think positive thoughts and relax, and you’ll be able to reach your goals more easily,” and the average person will think you’re an idiot hippie. But throw some talk of quantum physics into the mix, and those same people start thinking, “hey, it’s sciency, so it must be true.”
@Asheen: I love the quote, and I love your mother’s rational! I think if my mother had given me a good reason to pray, I might not have had been so adverse to going to church back in the day.
@Pierresplace: It’s true, for sure, that there is a lot that we don’t understand about the world, consciousness, our minds, etc etc etc. Further, I think it’s vital that we have a healthy discussion about these things as often as possible to avoid situations like this where a production company ends up making a whole lot of money off of the ignorance of others (and then works hard to keep those people ignorant for as long as possible).
Let it be known that I invite discussion of all flavors here! Come one, come all, disagree with me and engage in a healthy Socratic exchange!
@Dani Nordin: Very good point. Many people will not react positively (or sometimes at all) to the most logical argument in the world, but those same people will bend over backward in order to act on the newest voodoo product of the month.
This is where we run into an ethical dilemma. If we know of a positive solution we’d like for everyone to have the power to reach, is it ethically sound to trick them, lie to them and otherwise cajole them to that solution, if in getting there we actually scramble their overall beliefs?
I would argue that no, in this case the ends do not justify the means, but I can definitely see the argument for the opposing viewpoint, and it’s not a resolution that I’m dogmatic about, either. I can think of a dozen other cases wherein I would directly contradict myself on this matter.
Who else has an opinion about this? I’m curious to find out what other ideas are floating around the blogosphere.
@Asheen: I love the quote, and I love your mother’s rational! I think if my mother had given me a good reason to pray, I might not have had been so adverse to going to church back in the day.
@Pierresplace: It’s true, for sure, that there is a lot that we don’t understand about the world, consciousness, our minds, etc etc etc. Further, I think it’s vital that we have a healthy discussion about these things as often as possible to avoid situations like this where a production company ends up making a whole lot of money off of the ignorance of others (and then works hard to keep those people ignorant for as long as possible).
Let it be known that I invite discussion of all flavors here! Come one, come all, disagree with me and engage in a healthy Socratic exchange!
@Dani Nordin: Very good point. Many people will not react positively (or sometimes at all) to the most logical argument in the world, but those same people will bend over backward in order to act on the newest voodoo product of the month.
This is where we run into an ethical dilemma. If we know of a positive solution we’d like for everyone to have the power to reach, is it ethically sound to trick them, lie to them and otherwise cajole them to that solution, if in getting there we actually scramble their overall beliefs?
I would argue that no, in this case the ends do not justify the means, but I can definitely see the argument for the opposing viewpoint, and it’s not a resolution that I’m dogmatic about, either. I can think of a dozen other cases wherein I would directly contradict myself on this matter.
Who else has an opinion about this? I’m curious to find out what other ideas are floating around the blogosphere.
@Asheen: I love the quote, and I love your mother’s rational! I think if my mother had given me a good reason to pray, I might not have had been so adverse to going to church back in the day.
@Pierresplace: It’s true, for sure, that there is a lot that we don’t understand about the world, consciousness, our minds, etc etc etc. Further, I think it’s vital that we have a healthy discussion about these things as often as possible to avoid situations like this where a production company ends up making a whole lot of money off of the ignorance of others (and then works hard to keep those people ignorant for as long as possible).
Let it be known that I invite discussion of all flavors here! Come one, come all, disagree with me and engage in a healthy Socratic exchange!
@Dani Nordin: Very good point. Many people will not react positively (or sometimes at all) to the most logical argument in the world, but those same people will bend over backward in order to act on the newest voodoo product of the month.
This is where we run into an ethical dilemma. If we know of a positive solution we’d like for everyone to have the power to reach, is it ethically sound to trick them, lie to them and otherwise cajole them to that solution, if in getting there we actually scramble their overall beliefs?
I would argue that no, in this case the ends do not justify the means, but I can definitely see the argument for the opposing viewpoint, and it’s not a resolution that I’m dogmatic about, either. I can think of a dozen other cases wherein I would directly contradict myself on this matter.
Who else has an opinion about this? I’m curious to find out what other ideas are floating around the blogosphere.
I certainly enjoyed your post, however, I disagree. I firmly believe there is a process to “Manifesting Goals” that has been broadly referred to as “The Law of Attraction”. The critical component that was missed in “The Secret” was ACTION toward realization of your goal. This is the critical, and often overlooked, component to realizing / manifesting goals in many texts. Napoleon Hill in both “Think and Grow Rich” and “Law of Success” referred to a whole process from Setting a Goal (Having a Definite Purpose)through Concentrated Effort to realizing your goal(although he, too used current “fad” science (i.e. Ether)).
I believe “The Law of Attraction” was summarized in Matthew 7:7 (and Luke 11:9), as follows:
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door shall be opened. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened”.
“The Secret” suggests that asking (visualization) is the only component. I suggest that “Seeking” and “Knocking” comprise the component of action, as suggested by Napoleon Hill, and are the second and third components of a three part formula for success.
Every great accomplishment in my life has been due to planning (Visualization / setting my “Goal”), then planning the actions to fulfill that objective (realization / manifesting). This would be equivalent (I would argue) to Napoleon Hill’s “Concentrated Effort”.
I think the “Law of Attraction” is an appropriate term to apply to the process in its entirety, however, the emphasis has certainly been on visualizing, rather than adding the component of action.
By way of summary, an example:
If I want a vegetable garden, I would certainly plan its layout (Visualize it).
Then I would go out and prepare the ground, plant the seed, weed and water it through the summer (the Action component), all the while visualizing the fall harvest. This encapsulates “The Law of Attraction”, Visualization … followed by action for its realization.
And now, having stated it as above, I suspect we might be in agreement and my position of opposition at the start of this long post was one of semantics?
Once again, good post you are certainly getting some good responses.
Regards
Rick
I certainly enjoyed your post, however, I disagree. I firmly believe there is a process to “Manifesting Goals” that has been broadly referred to as “The Law of Attraction”. The critical component that was missed in “The Secret” was ACTION toward realization of your goal. This is the critical, and often overlooked, component to realizing / manifesting goals in many texts. Napoleon Hill in both “Think and Grow Rich” and “Law of Success” referred to a whole process from Setting a Goal (Having a Definite Purpose)through Concentrated Effort to realizing your goal(although he, too used current “fad” science (i.e. Ether)).
I believe “The Law of Attraction” was summarized in Matthew 7:7 (and Luke 11:9), as follows:
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door shall be opened. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened”.
“The Secret” suggests that asking (visualization) is the only component. I suggest that “Seeking” and “Knocking” comprise the component of action, as suggested by Napoleon Hill, and are the second and third components of a three part formula for success.
Every great accomplishment in my life has been due to planning (Visualization / setting my “Goal”), then planning the actions to fulfill that objective (realization / manifesting). This would be equivalent (I would argue) to Napoleon Hill’s “Concentrated Effort”.
I think the “Law of Attraction” is an appropriate term to apply to the process in its entirety, however, the emphasis has certainly been on visualizing, rather than adding the component of action.
By way of summary, an example:
If I want a vegetable garden, I would certainly plan its layout (Visualize it).
Then I would go out and prepare the ground, plant the seed, weed and water it through the summer (the Action component), all the while visualizing the fall harvest. This encapsulates “The Law of Attraction”, Visualization … followed by action for its realization.
And now, having stated it as above, I suspect we might be in agreement and my position of opposition at the start of this long post was one of semantics?
Once again, good post you are certainly getting some good responses.
Regards
Rick
I certainly enjoyed your post, however, I disagree. I firmly believe there is a process to “Manifesting Goals” that has been broadly referred to as “The Law of Attraction”. The critical component that was missed in “The Secret” was ACTION toward realization of your goal. This is the critical, and often overlooked, component to realizing / manifesting goals in many texts. Napoleon Hill in both “Think and Grow Rich” and “Law of Success” referred to a whole process from Setting a Goal (Having a Definite Purpose)through Concentrated Effort to realizing your goal(although he, too used current “fad” science (i.e. Ether)).
I believe “The Law of Attraction” was summarized in Matthew 7:7 (and Luke 11:9), as follows:
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door shall be opened. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened”.
“The Secret” suggests that asking (visualization) is the only component. I suggest that “Seeking” and “Knocking” comprise the component of action, as suggested by Napoleon Hill, and are the second and third components of a three part formula for success.
Every great accomplishment in my life has been due to planning (Visualization / setting my “Goal”), then planning the actions to fulfill that objective (realization / manifesting). This would be equivalent (I would argue) to Napoleon Hill’s “Concentrated Effort”.
I think the “Law of Attraction” is an appropriate term to apply to the process in its entirety, however, the emphasis has certainly been on visualizing, rather than adding the component of action.
By way of summary, an example:
If I want a vegetable garden, I would certainly plan its layout (Visualize it).
Then I would go out and prepare the ground, plant the seed, weed and water it through the summer (the Action component), all the while visualizing the fall harvest. This encapsulates “The Law of Attraction”, Visualization … followed by action for its realization.
And now, having stated it as above, I suspect we might be in agreement and my position of opposition at the start of this long post was one of semantics?
Once again, good post you are certainly getting some good responses.
Regards
Rick
@Rick Walker: I think you might be right that our opposition is one of semantics, but an opposition is an opposition, and you do make a very valid argument about how a big part of the Law of Attraction in its earlier form involves the very action that I criticize the modern version of it for not including.
I do, of course, agree that action is the vital step that most people are missing, and that misleading others into thinking that simply planning and praying will be enough to make their wildest dreams come true.
Great summary of the point, though! I think you did a better job of explaining it cleanly and concisely than I did.
@Rick Walker: I think you might be right that our opposition is one of semantics, but an opposition is an opposition, and you do make a very valid argument about how a big part of the Law of Attraction in its earlier form involves the very action that I criticize the modern version of it for not including.
I do, of course, agree that action is the vital step that most people are missing, and that misleading others into thinking that simply planning and praying will be enough to make their wildest dreams come true.
Great summary of the point, though! I think you did a better job of explaining it cleanly and concisely than I did.
@Rick Walker: I think you might be right that our opposition is one of semantics, but an opposition is an opposition, and you do make a very valid argument about how a big part of the Law of Attraction in its earlier form involves the very action that I criticize the modern version of it for not including.
I do, of course, agree that action is the vital step that most people are missing, and that misleading others into thinking that simply planning and praying will be enough to make their wildest dreams come true.
Great summary of the point, though! I think you did a better job of explaining it cleanly and concisely than I did.
I never saw or read “The Secret”, but I’ve read about and successfully implemented the Law of Attraction in my life enough to know that it’s not “bullshit”. Perhaps The Secret’s definition or portrayal of it is bullshit, but the law, as successfully used by many people, has proven itself over and over.
Your post seems to be coming from the position that the Law of Attraction says nothing of action and is nothing more than wishful thinking and visual stimulation (as the drawing at the top suggests). Those who have successfully implemented it will tell you that the Law of Attraction is not about you attracting things towards yourself (again, as illustrated in the drawing above) but rather about modifying your life so that the things you desire are being attracted to YOU (i.e., the pineapple in the drawing above should have arrows pointing to the human figure, not vice versa).
If you want to get rich, you need to change yourself and your life so that people want to give YOU money (instead of looking for ways to get money from other people). If you want to be successful, you need to change your life so that others want to see YOU succeed. Being receptive, making decisions, taking action, and following through are things that we should be doing regardless of where are in life.
I’m a firm believer that positive and negative energies push the universe in different directions. Writing is one method of pushing energies around and the Internet amplifies the power of writing (as it is easily accessible to a much greater audience). I enjoy your writings and your blog (I’m in the process of transitioning to a similar lifestyle), but I must say that the title of this post should have been “The Secret is Bullshit” or “Flaws in the Modern Law of Attraction”. The Law of Attraction is not bullshit.
I never saw or read “The Secret”, but I’ve read about and successfully implemented the Law of Attraction in my life enough to know that it’s not “bullshit”. Perhaps The Secret’s definition or portrayal of it is bullshit, but the law, as successfully used by many people, has proven itself over and over.
Your post seems to be coming from the position that the Law of Attraction says nothing of action and is nothing more than wishful thinking and visual stimulation (as the drawing at the top suggests). Those who have successfully implemented it will tell you that the Law of Attraction is not about you attracting things towards yourself (again, as illustrated in the drawing above) but rather about modifying your life so that the things you desire are being attracted to YOU (i.e., the pineapple in the drawing above should have arrows pointing to the human figure, not vice versa).
If you want to get rich, you need to change yourself and your life so that people want to give YOU money (instead of looking for ways to get money from other people). If you want to be successful, you need to change your life so that others want to see YOU succeed. Being receptive, making decisions, taking action, and following through are things that we should be doing regardless of where are in life.
I’m a firm believer that positive and negative energies push the universe in different directions. Writing is one method of pushing energies around and the Internet amplifies the power of writing (as it is easily accessible to a much greater audience). I enjoy your writings and your blog (I’m in the process of transitioning to a similar lifestyle), but I must say that the title of this post should have been “The Secret is Bullshit” or “Flaws in the Modern Law of Attraction”. The Law of Attraction is not bullshit.
I never saw or read “The Secret”, but I’ve read about and successfully implemented the Law of Attraction in my life enough to know that it’s not “bullshit”. Perhaps The Secret’s definition or portrayal of it is bullshit, but the law, as successfully used by many people, has proven itself over and over.
Your post seems to be coming from the position that the Law of Attraction says nothing of action and is nothing more than wishful thinking and visual stimulation (as the drawing at the top suggests). Those who have successfully implemented it will tell you that the Law of Attraction is not about you attracting things towards yourself (again, as illustrated in the drawing above) but rather about modifying your life so that the things you desire are being attracted to YOU (i.e., the pineapple in the drawing above should have arrows pointing to the human figure, not vice versa).
If you want to get rich, you need to change yourself and your life so that people want to give YOU money (instead of looking for ways to get money from other people). If you want to be successful, you need to change your life so that others want to see YOU succeed. Being receptive, making decisions, taking action, and following through are things that we should be doing regardless of where are in life.
I’m a firm believer that positive and negative energies push the universe in different directions. Writing is one method of pushing energies around and the Internet amplifies the power of writing (as it is easily accessible to a much greater audience). I enjoy your writings and your blog (I’m in the process of transitioning to a similar lifestyle), but I must say that the title of this post should have been “The Secret is Bullshit” or “Flaws in the Modern Law of Attraction”. The Law of Attraction is not bullshit.
@Raam Dev: First and foremost, thank you very much for the really thoughtful post. I had to check out your blog after reading it and love your idea to go cold turkey with your beverages, drinking nothing but water and tea (I may have to do that myself!).
Okay, so on to the meat of the matter. I should note that the illustrations for these posts were created by me for a project over a year ago called Circadian 3 for which I created a short writing, a drawing and a photograph every day for a year. I decided that until I left the country I would use this stockpile of images to illustrate my articles, and most of the time they don’t match up just perfectly with the articles (since I basically write the article and then browse through my library, looking for something that isn’t totally inappropriate for the topic at hand. So yeah, they really aren’t meant to be technical drawings, or even very accurate…just entertaining :)
That being said, I still can’t help but be skeptical of any believe that involves unmeasurable ‘energies.’ This may just be a semantic distinction, but in my mind it’s one thing to say ‘make yourself a more likely target for the positive actions of others’ and ‘adjust your energy to be more positive and attract the energy of others.’
And therein lies the issue. On one hand we have solid advice that would be at home in any purely rigid and materialistic business book anywhere in the world, and on the other hand we have advice that is at the very least spiritual (in some sense of the word) and at most borderline cultish (‘do what I say and the energies of the world will do your bidding!’).
As for your last point, it’s true that the post may have more accurately been called ‘The Secret is Bullshit’ or ‘Flaws in the Modern Law of Attraction,’ but I still don’t think that my main points are lacking; I am discussing the Law of Attraction as a whole (even if the modern application of it IS the more deserving target of the two), and I don’t think there is a any support for the ideas that the ‘Law’ presupposes (there are plenty of real world, non-energy-based explanations for the results that people have experienced).
Plus, coming from a marketing perspective, if you’re looking for a good discussion, you have to take the most extreme part of your argument and use it in the title (which in blogging serves as the ‘hook’ to get people interested). Making use of key words that will tell people what’s being discussed, I also chose to use a bit of profanity (something that I don’t usually go for), since I knew this topic would be divisive and wanted to get an active discussion (which requires some conflict) going from the start.
I certainly never intent to offend anyone with my articles (or my titles), but I do think there are many different opinions out there, with many very strong arguments backing them up, and I’m doing everything I can to draw them out when I can so that both myself and my readership can be exposed to them and benefit from them.
Again, thank you VERY much for your response, Raam, and I look forward to more thoughts and comments from you in the future!
@Raam Dev: First and foremost, thank you very much for the really thoughtful post. I had to check out your blog after reading it and love your idea to go cold turkey with your beverages, drinking nothing but water and tea (I may have to do that myself!).
Okay, so on to the meat of the matter. I should note that the illustrations for these posts were created by me for a project over a year ago called Circadian 3 for which I created a short writing, a drawing and a photograph every day for a year. I decided that until I left the country I would use this stockpile of images to illustrate my articles, and most of the time they don’t match up just perfectly with the articles (since I basically write the article and then browse through my library, looking for something that isn’t totally inappropriate for the topic at hand. So yeah, they really aren’t meant to be technical drawings, or even very accurate…just entertaining :)
That being said, I still can’t help but be skeptical of any believe that involves unmeasurable ‘energies.’ This may just be a semantic distinction, but in my mind it’s one thing to say ‘make yourself a more likely target for the positive actions of others’ and ‘adjust your energy to be more positive and attract the energy of others.’
And therein lies the issue. On one hand we have solid advice that would be at home in any purely rigid and materialistic business book anywhere in the world, and on the other hand we have advice that is at the very least spiritual (in some sense of the word) and at most borderline cultish (‘do what I say and the energies of the world will do your bidding!’).
As for your last point, it’s true that the post may have more accurately been called ‘The Secret is Bullshit’ or ‘Flaws in the Modern Law of Attraction,’ but I still don’t think that my main points are lacking; I am discussing the Law of Attraction as a whole (even if the modern application of it IS the more deserving target of the two), and I don’t think there is a any support for the ideas that the ‘Law’ presupposes (there are plenty of real world, non-energy-based explanations for the results that people have experienced).
Plus, coming from a marketing perspective, if you’re looking for a good discussion, you have to take the most extreme part of your argument and use it in the title (which in blogging serves as the ‘hook’ to get people interested). Making use of key words that will tell people what’s being discussed, I also chose to use a bit of profanity (something that I don’t usually go for), since I knew this topic would be divisive and wanted to get an active discussion (which requires some conflict) going from the start.
I certainly never intent to offend anyone with my articles (or my titles), but I do think there are many different opinions out there, with many very strong arguments backing them up, and I’m doing everything I can to draw them out when I can so that both myself and my readership can be exposed to them and benefit from them.
Again, thank you VERY much for your response, Raam, and I look forward to more thoughts and comments from you in the future!
@Raam Dev: First and foremost, thank you very much for the really thoughtful post. I had to check out your blog after reading it and love your idea to go cold turkey with your beverages, drinking nothing but water and tea (I may have to do that myself!).
Okay, so on to the meat of the matter. I should note that the illustrations for these posts were created by me for a project over a year ago called Circadian 3 for which I created a short writing, a drawing and a photograph every day for a year. I decided that until I left the country I would use this stockpile of images to illustrate my articles, and most of the time they don’t match up just perfectly with the articles (since I basically write the article and then browse through my library, looking for something that isn’t totally inappropriate for the topic at hand. So yeah, they really aren’t meant to be technical drawings, or even very accurate…just entertaining :)
That being said, I still can’t help but be skeptical of any believe that involves unmeasurable ‘energies.’ This may just be a semantic distinction, but in my mind it’s one thing to say ‘make yourself a more likely target for the positive actions of others’ and ‘adjust your energy to be more positive and attract the energy of others.’
And therein lies the issue. On one hand we have solid advice that would be at home in any purely rigid and materialistic business book anywhere in the world, and on the other hand we have advice that is at the very least spiritual (in some sense of the word) and at most borderline cultish (‘do what I say and the energies of the world will do your bidding!’).
As for your last point, it’s true that the post may have more accurately been called ‘The Secret is Bullshit’ or ‘Flaws in the Modern Law of Attraction,’ but I still don’t think that my main points are lacking; I am discussing the Law of Attraction as a whole (even if the modern application of it IS the more deserving target of the two), and I don’t think there is a any support for the ideas that the ‘Law’ presupposes (there are plenty of real world, non-energy-based explanations for the results that people have experienced).
Plus, coming from a marketing perspective, if you’re looking for a good discussion, you have to take the most extreme part of your argument and use it in the title (which in blogging serves as the ‘hook’ to get people interested). Making use of key words that will tell people what’s being discussed, I also chose to use a bit of profanity (something that I don’t usually go for), since I knew this topic would be divisive and wanted to get an active discussion (which requires some conflict) going from the start.
I certainly never intent to offend anyone with my articles (or my titles), but I do think there are many different opinions out there, with many very strong arguments backing them up, and I’m doing everything I can to draw them out when I can so that both myself and my readership can be exposed to them and benefit from them.
Again, thank you VERY much for your response, Raam, and I look forward to more thoughts and comments from you in the future!
That’s one of the best explanations of “The Secret” I ever read. I just submitted it to StumbleUpon.
It does strike me as deceptive to tell someone that if they simply think about something, it’ll come true. I’ve seen people try this and fail miserably because they were too damn lazy to actually take action.
However, if people try what is said in “The Secret” in combination with intelligent action, I think they can make some real tangible results for themselves.
Even though when someone starts talking about the “Law of Attraction”, I feel like I’m listening to an infomercial, there is wisdom in what they’re saying.
Fantastic post.
That’s one of the best explanations of “The Secret” I ever read. I just submitted it to StumbleUpon.
It does strike me as deceptive to tell someone that if they simply think about something, it’ll come true. I’ve seen people try this and fail miserably because they were too damn lazy to actually take action.
However, if people try what is said in “The Secret” in combination with intelligent action, I think they can make some real tangible results for themselves.
Even though when someone starts talking about the “Law of Attraction”, I feel like I’m listening to an infomercial, there is wisdom in what they’re saying.
Fantastic post.
I’m always a fan of the right tool for the job.
When it comes to The Law of Attraction, I think it’s a spectrum and a slider scale. I think the part that works is the visualization (start with end in mind), the RAS (reticular activating system), taking massive action, and a few other bits and pieces. We all know like-attracts like and we know you get what you focus on so that helps. There are some interesting points to add about mirror cells and the biology of your network in action (some crazy, provable stuff.) To boil it down, people start to help me throughout the network because my network knows what I want.
For a short while I wanted to put The Law of Attraction to a public test, so I asked the universe for a billion bucks and started my billion dollar blog to log my results.
At the end of the day, I’m a fan of getting up to bat, hanging with super skilled people, and using proven patterns and practices for results. That said, it’s almost tempting to share my story of how I won $57,000 on a 5 cent slot machine, in a Jimmeny Cricket sort of way, but I’m worried it might encourage people down the wrong path :)
There’s an interesting book by Edward de Bono where he looks at the lives of 50 successful folks and he evaluates the role that luck among other things plays. I have a book nugget on “luck and success” on my blog to give you a taste, but you can’t go wrong with de Bono … he teaches thinking like somebody would teach algebra.
I do like one of my friend’s approach to The Law of Attraction. He doesn’t bank on it, but he doesn’t preclude himself from it.
I’m always a fan of the right tool for the job.
When it comes to The Law of Attraction, I think it’s a spectrum and a slider scale. I think the part that works is the visualization (start with end in mind), the RAS (reticular activating system), taking massive action, and a few other bits and pieces. We all know like-attracts like and we know you get what you focus on so that helps. There are some interesting points to add about mirror cells and the biology of your network in action (some crazy, provable stuff.) To boil it down, people start to help me throughout the network because my network knows what I want.
For a short while I wanted to put The Law of Attraction to a public test, so I asked the universe for a billion bucks and started my billion dollar blog to log my results.
At the end of the day, I’m a fan of getting up to bat, hanging with super skilled people, and using proven patterns and practices for results. That said, it’s almost tempting to share my story of how I won $57,000 on a 5 cent slot machine, in a Jimmeny Cricket sort of way, but I’m worried it might encourage people down the wrong path :)
There’s an interesting book by Edward de Bono where he looks at the lives of 50 successful folks and he evaluates the role that luck among other things plays. I have a book nugget on “luck and success” on my blog to give you a taste, but you can’t go wrong with de Bono … he teaches thinking like somebody would teach algebra.
I do like one of my friend’s approach to The Law of Attraction. He doesn’t bank on it, but he doesn’t preclude himself from it.
@Tim: Thanks for the kind words! Much appreciated!
I agree that all the tenets of The Secret are not incorrect, and in fact it’s really just that whole ‘visualize it and it will happen due to forces beyond our control’ deal that I have a major issue with. There’s nothing wrong with visualizing and acting, though, and in fact I personally spend a lot of my down-time visualizing scenarios and outcomes of different actions. I don’t know that it helps, but it certainly couldn’t hurt!
@J.D. Meier: I LOVE the idea of your billion dollar blog. Is it still up?
I like to approach any kind of luck, whether you want to actually call it that or call it faith, with the same attitude you describe. I reason that if I ‘make my own luck,’ as it were, then I’ll be much more likely to get the results that I want than if I leave it purely up to chance. I feel that most of what people refer to is luck is simply good preparation, though the impact of sheer, stupid coincidence should not be underestimated…though the consequences of a coincidence should be prepared for!
@Tim: Thanks for the kind words! Much appreciated!
I agree that all the tenets of The Secret are not incorrect, and in fact it’s really just that whole ‘visualize it and it will happen due to forces beyond our control’ deal that I have a major issue with. There’s nothing wrong with visualizing and acting, though, and in fact I personally spend a lot of my down-time visualizing scenarios and outcomes of different actions. I don’t know that it helps, but it certainly couldn’t hurt!
@J.D. Meier: I LOVE the idea of your billion dollar blog. Is it still up?
I like to approach any kind of luck, whether you want to actually call it that or call it faith, with the same attitude you describe. I reason that if I ‘make my own luck,’ as it were, then I’ll be much more likely to get the results that I want than if I leave it purely up to chance. I feel that most of what people refer to is luck is simply good preparation, though the impact of sheer, stupid coincidence should not be underestimated…though the consequences of a coincidence should be prepared for!
@Tim: Thanks for your insights. I like your angle.
Colin? I can see your viewpoint, you communicated it clearly, but I’m inclined to say that you might want to rethink a few things. Your paragraph on magic for one:
Think about it: something that is magic is unchangeable and unquestionable. It just happens. It’s magic. You can react to it, but not do much about it otherwise. Something that’s scientific, on the other hand, is infinitely malleable; it can be studied, understood and changed to suit our needs. To call something magic when really it’s just complicated is doing everyone an injustice because it’s spreading the acceptance of willful ignorance and therefore hobbling our future efforts to understand the world and make positive changes.”
Magic is malleable, changeable, and questionable. However, LAWs are not. Science is the study of how things work and scientists don’t assert anything is definite until they have put it through the rigors or scientific testing – until then it is only a theory based on sound hypothesis, which all scientists know is capable of being malleable, changeable, and questionable.
And it is only because of science that we have the multitude of technological advances that we now enjoy, and certainly not because of “willful ignorance.†If we are “hobbled†in any way it is because of people’s blind hope for “magic†or the miraculous to carry us through.
But it is scientists with vision that continually question, study, and push through the status quo who have made the impossible possible.
And furthermore, the LOA is not BS anymore than the Law of Gravity is BS. Gravity is a LAW it always works, always has, and always will – whether you want it to or not, whether you agree with it or not, or whether you understand it or not. The Law of Gravity is not the Theory of Gravity, but a law. Likewise the Law of Attraction is a law – it is not a theory, and in the same way it always works, always has, and always will – whether you want it to or not, whether you agree with it or not, or whether you understand it or not.
Just because you don’t understand the LOA completely doesn’t make it BS. It only means that perhaps there is more for you to learn in order to use the law to bring about better and more beneficial results – if you aren’t enjoying those results now it’s not because the law is defunct, or BS but that you aren’t obeying the law as it dictates. For example, the Law of Gravity dictates, “What goes up must come down.†Obey that and you will always get the same results – always. Likewise, obey what the LOA dictates and you will always get the same results – always.
I hope what I have written doesn’t upset you. I’m not trying to be disagreeable, but rather give you some things to think about on this subject.
Thanks again for your thought provoking post. Keep up the good work.
@Tim: Thanks for your insights. I like your angle.
Colin? I can see your viewpoint, you communicated it clearly, but I’m inclined to say that you might want to rethink a few things. Your paragraph on magic for one:
Think about it: something that is magic is unchangeable and unquestionable. It just happens. It’s magic. You can react to it, but not do much about it otherwise. Something that’s scientific, on the other hand, is infinitely malleable; it can be studied, understood and changed to suit our needs. To call something magic when really it’s just complicated is doing everyone an injustice because it’s spreading the acceptance of willful ignorance and therefore hobbling our future efforts to understand the world and make positive changes.”
Magic is malleable, changeable, and questionable. However, LAWs are not. Science is the study of how things work and scientists don’t assert anything is definite until they have put it through the rigors or scientific testing – until then it is only a theory based on sound hypothesis, which all scientists know is capable of being malleable, changeable, and questionable.
And it is only because of science that we have the multitude of technological advances that we now enjoy, and certainly not because of “willful ignorance.†If we are “hobbled†in any way it is because of people’s blind hope for “magic†or the miraculous to carry us through.
But it is scientists with vision that continually question, study, and push through the status quo who have made the impossible possible.
And furthermore, the LOA is not BS anymore than the Law of Gravity is BS. Gravity is a LAW it always works, always has, and always will – whether you want it to or not, whether you agree with it or not, or whether you understand it or not. The Law of Gravity is not the Theory of Gravity, but a law. Likewise the Law of Attraction is a law – it is not a theory, and in the same way it always works, always has, and always will – whether you want it to or not, whether you agree with it or not, or whether you understand it or not.
Just because you don’t understand the LOA completely doesn’t make it BS. It only means that perhaps there is more for you to learn in order to use the law to bring about better and more beneficial results – if you aren’t enjoying those results now it’s not because the law is defunct, or BS but that you aren’t obeying the law as it dictates. For example, the Law of Gravity dictates, “What goes up must come down.†Obey that and you will always get the same results – always. Likewise, obey what the LOA dictates and you will always get the same results – always.
I hope what I have written doesn’t upset you. I’m not trying to be disagreeable, but rather give you some things to think about on this subject.
Thanks again for your thought provoking post. Keep up the good work.
@Michael Claridge: Thanks for the read and heartfelt comment, Michael! Great to get some constructive debate going!
I want to start by saying that a big part of what you seen to be arguing is based on semantics, specifically regarding the designation of ‘law.’
Though calling it the ‘Law of Gravity’ makes it sound like the ultimate, be-all authority that cannot be questioned (it’s a law, after all!), that couldn’t be further from the truth. What makes science different from faith or simply wanting something to be true is that it is testable and changeable…if new discoveries come to light, then the ‘law’ changes. That’s just how it works (it may take time to update the textbooks, but that’s an issue of logistics, not scientific approval).
That being said, the Law of Attraction (as it is called by the people who market it, not scientists, by the way) is not scientifically-based. It is not testable, and therefore not scientific. Saying there is a Law of Unicorns doesn’t prove or disprove the existence of unicorns…there actually has to be scientific proof (and someone saying that they saw a unicorn is not testable or conclusive, nor is someone saying that the Law of Attraction worked for them, and for the same reasons).
I do wholeheartedly agree that the scientists who have the cajones to question the status quo have repeatedly moved technology and scientific progress to the next step! It must be noted, though, that every idea that resides outside of the status quo is not good. Most, in fact, are based on wild speculation, personal bias or sheer misunderstanding. Sometimes, too, the person who presents the idea simply wants it to be true enough that they’ve convinced themselves that it is true. It’s easy to find ‘evidence’ when you’ve got an idea you’re hoping to support (and just as easy to overlook an overwhelming amount of evidence against what you want to believe).
I also agree that I have a whole lot more to learn, and though I disagree with you based on what I know now, it is possible that at some point in the future evidence will present itself that will completely change my mind. It’s happened before, and I have no reason to think it couldn’t happen again.
With that, I want to again thank you for presenting your argument – in an elegant and polite fashion, I might add – and I sincerely hope you continue to participate on the site!
(I checked out your blog, by the way, and I really like the idea of creators. I’ll have to dive deeper into it in the near future).
@Michael Claridge: Thanks for the read and heartfelt comment, Michael! Great to get some constructive debate going!
I want to start by saying that a big part of what you seen to be arguing is based on semantics, specifically regarding the designation of ‘law.’
Though calling it the ‘Law of Gravity’ makes it sound like the ultimate, be-all authority that cannot be questioned (it’s a law, after all!), that couldn’t be further from the truth. What makes science different from faith or simply wanting something to be true is that it is testable and changeable…if new discoveries come to light, then the ‘law’ changes. That’s just how it works (it may take time to update the textbooks, but that’s an issue of logistics, not scientific approval).
That being said, the Law of Attraction (as it is called by the people who market it, not scientists, by the way) is not scientifically-based. It is not testable, and therefore not scientific. Saying there is a Law of Unicorns doesn’t prove or disprove the existence of unicorns…there actually has to be scientific proof (and someone saying that they saw a unicorn is not testable or conclusive, nor is someone saying that the Law of Attraction worked for them, and for the same reasons).
I do wholeheartedly agree that the scientists who have the cajones to question the status quo have repeatedly moved technology and scientific progress to the next step! It must be noted, though, that every idea that resides outside of the status quo is not good. Most, in fact, are based on wild speculation, personal bias or sheer misunderstanding. Sometimes, too, the person who presents the idea simply wants it to be true enough that they’ve convinced themselves that it is true. It’s easy to find ‘evidence’ when you’ve got an idea you’re hoping to support (and just as easy to overlook an overwhelming amount of evidence against what you want to believe).
I also agree that I have a whole lot more to learn, and though I disagree with you based on what I know now, it is possible that at some point in the future evidence will present itself that will completely change my mind. It’s happened before, and I have no reason to think it couldn’t happen again.
With that, I want to again thank you for presenting your argument – in an elegant and polite fashion, I might add – and I sincerely hope you continue to participate on the site!
(I checked out your blog, by the way, and I really like the idea of creators. I’ll have to dive deeper into it in the near future).
The problem with the LoA is that people get way too serious about it. Stop trying to deconstruct it piece by piece and just GIVE IT A TRY. I watched “The Secret” right after I left the US for my own travels a few years ago. I was finding myself unfulfilled with what I was doing, even though I thought that I’d be incredibly happy just traveling. So I thought more about what I really wanted, took joy in the small things that I was already doing, let go of what made me unhappy (my job) and let things fall into place. And they did, in a big way. No magic required, just an openness to life. Being that this is the first time you’ve traveled abroad, I have to recommend that such openness is an attitude that you embrace wholeheartedly, because the coolest adventures come from not knowing what the hell is going on, but just going along with it anyway; relinquishing control. The Law of Attraction, to me, just steers us in the right direction if we’re open to life. And it has never let me down. I wish you luck.
The problem with the LoA is that people get way too serious about it. Stop trying to deconstruct it piece by piece and just GIVE IT A TRY. I watched “The Secret” right after I left the US for my own travels a few years ago. I was finding myself unfulfilled with what I was doing, even though I thought that I’d be incredibly happy just traveling. So I thought more about what I really wanted, took joy in the small things that I was already doing, let go of what made me unhappy (my job) and let things fall into place. And they did, in a big way. No magic required, just an openness to life. Being that this is the first time you’ve traveled abroad, I have to recommend that such openness is an attitude that you embrace wholeheartedly, because the coolest adventures come from not knowing what the hell is going on, but just going along with it anyway; relinquishing control. The Law of Attraction, to me, just steers us in the right direction if we’re open to life. And it has never let me down. I wish you luck.
The problem with the LoA is that people get way too serious about it. Stop trying to deconstruct it piece by piece and just GIVE IT A TRY. I watched “The Secret” right after I left the US for my own travels a few years ago. I was finding myself unfulfilled with what I was doing, even though I thought that I’d be incredibly happy just traveling. So I thought more about what I really wanted, took joy in the small things that I was already doing, let go of what made me unhappy (my job) and let things fall into place. And they did, in a big way. No magic required, just an openness to life. Being that this is the first time you’ve traveled abroad, I have to recommend that such openness is an attitude that you embrace wholeheartedly, because the coolest adventures come from not knowing what the hell is going on, but just going along with it anyway; relinquishing control. The Law of Attraction, to me, just steers us in the right direction if we’re open to life. And it has never let me down. I wish you luck.
Got here from the Stepcase Lifehack website. Fully agree with all your points. I do agree that if you focus on a goal and visualize its outcome, the rest of you is suddenly attuned to making it come true, such as your example of wanting a new car. What I don’t understand is when some people elevate it to some mystical, the-universe-made-it-happen BS.
I know some people who claimed the Secret has worked for them, but so far their examples are of events that had a high probability of occurring, anyway. For example, I don’t see how you can claim “The Secret” helped you get tickets to a tennis match where there already tons of tickets floating around anyway.
As with point #3 — I recall a grad school professor telling me that some things can’t be proven, the most you can do is prove that its inverse is false. For example, you can’t prove that the LOA is true just by providing all sorts of anecdotes that it works. But take its inverse (“The LOA does NOT work”) and if you can find even a single instance of this, then it means the LOA does not work. And I’ve heard of a lot of people telling stories about how the LOA has not worked for them — me included.
Got here from the Stepcase Lifehack website. Fully agree with all your points. I do agree that if you focus on a goal and visualize its outcome, the rest of you is suddenly attuned to making it come true, such as your example of wanting a new car. What I don’t understand is when some people elevate it to some mystical, the-universe-made-it-happen BS.
I know some people who claimed the Secret has worked for them, but so far their examples are of events that had a high probability of occurring, anyway. For example, I don’t see how you can claim “The Secret” helped you get tickets to a tennis match where there already tons of tickets floating around anyway.
As with point #3 — I recall a grad school professor telling me that some things can’t be proven, the most you can do is prove that its inverse is false. For example, you can’t prove that the LOA is true just by providing all sorts of anecdotes that it works. But take its inverse (“The LOA does NOT work”) and if you can find even a single instance of this, then it means the LOA does not work. And I’ve heard of a lot of people telling stories about how the LOA has not worked for them — me included.
Got here from the Stepcase Lifehack website. Fully agree with all your points. I do agree that if you focus on a goal and visualize its outcome, the rest of you is suddenly attuned to making it come true, such as your example of wanting a new car. What I don’t understand is when some people elevate it to some mystical, the-universe-made-it-happen BS.
I know some people who claimed the Secret has worked for them, but so far their examples are of events that had a high probability of occurring, anyway. For example, I don’t see how you can claim “The Secret” helped you get tickets to a tennis match where there already tons of tickets floating around anyway.
As with point #3 — I recall a grad school professor telling me that some things can’t be proven, the most you can do is prove that its inverse is false. For example, you can’t prove that the LOA is true just by providing all sorts of anecdotes that it works. But take its inverse (“The LOA does NOT work”) and if you can find even a single instance of this, then it means the LOA does not work. And I’ve heard of a lot of people telling stories about how the LOA has not worked for them — me included.
Tutti says: You know what’s weird? You’re not going to believe this.
Right after watching The Secret, I got into it and one of the stories that caught my attention was the “unexpected money” in the mail, remember that one? Well I was like, “yeah, right”. I’m a cynic by nature but I couldn’t get that out of my head. Then around 1-2 weeks later, I got not 1, but 2 unexpected checks. One of them was from somebody I didn’t know ($300). I knew the check was coming maybe 4 days prior but I didn’t know WHO it was going to come from or how much (long story). Then all of a sudden, about a week after that, I got a check for $20 from either my bank or my electric company (I forgot now it’s been a while). They said that I overpaid them for something! The point is that I wasn’t expecting those checks! The first one I was sort of expecting but I didn’t know who it was from or how much!
I thought the whole thing was a little freaky. I do believe you have to be open to life like @Eve said. That and being clear on your goals helps a lot, lot, LOT. AND obsessing over unexpected checks! ;)
Tutti says: You know what’s weird? You’re not going to believe this.
Right after watching The Secret, I got into it and one of the stories that caught my attention was the “unexpected money” in the mail, remember that one? Well I was like, “yeah, right”. I’m a cynic by nature but I couldn’t get that out of my head. Then around 1-2 weeks later, I got not 1, but 2 unexpected checks. One of them was from somebody I didn’t know ($300). I knew the check was coming maybe 4 days prior but I didn’t know WHO it was going to come from or how much (long story). Then all of a sudden, about a week after that, I got a check for $20 from either my bank or my electric company (I forgot now it’s been a while). They said that I overpaid them for something! The point is that I wasn’t expecting those checks! The first one I was sort of expecting but I didn’t know who it was from or how much!
I thought the whole thing was a little freaky. I do believe you have to be open to life like @Eve said. That and being clear on your goals helps a lot, lot, LOT. AND obsessing over unexpected checks! ;)
Tutti says: You know what’s weird? You’re not going to believe this.
Right after watching The Secret, I got into it and one of the stories that caught my attention was the “unexpected money” in the mail, remember that one? Well I was like, “yeah, right”. I’m a cynic by nature but I couldn’t get that out of my head. Then around 1-2 weeks later, I got not 1, but 2 unexpected checks. One of them was from somebody I didn’t know ($300). I knew the check was coming maybe 4 days prior but I didn’t know WHO it was going to come from or how much (long story). Then all of a sudden, about a week after that, I got a check for $20 from either my bank or my electric company (I forgot now it’s been a while). They said that I overpaid them for something! The point is that I wasn’t expecting those checks! The first one I was sort of expecting but I didn’t know who it was from or how much!
I thought the whole thing was a little freaky. I do believe you have to be open to life like @Eve said. That and being clear on your goals helps a lot, lot, LOT. AND obsessing over unexpected checks! ;)
Morgan says: It’s great to read this! As a business owner I was caught up in high level coaching for two years and was surrounded by people singing the praises of the ‘law of attraction’. I sincerely want my business to succeed, so this sounded like great strategy, think it, visualise it and it will come!
However, as the daughter of a scientist, my rational side kept questioning it; why would people suffer atrocities of war and natural disasters? Did their thoughts create it? It seemed too simplistic and ‘moral’ to me. Then you can extend it to, do animals also qualify under this law of attraction? If so, then wouldn’t my dog be very fat as his thoughts would cause him to be presented with endless array of food?
I can laugh it off now and see the truth, but once a series of very serious challenges hit me last year, I got so sick of these law of attraction people telling me ‘be careful of what you are attracting’. It seemed like utter rubbish to me and very egotistical and just crazy to think I had any power to affect these things!
Whilst I believe in being positive where possible, I’m glad that there are sites like this that allow critical thinking and question these simplistic popular pseudo-science theories.
These days I’m aiming to be me, imperfect and occasionally mediocre, yet occasionally inspired, in short- human!
Morgan says: It’s great to read this! As a business owner I was caught up in high level coaching for two years and was surrounded by people singing the praises of the ‘law of attraction’. I sincerely want my business to succeed, so this sounded like great strategy, think it, visualise it and it will come!
However, as the daughter of a scientist, my rational side kept questioning it; why would people suffer atrocities of war and natural disasters? Did their thoughts create it? It seemed too simplistic and ‘moral’ to me. Then you can extend it to, do animals also qualify under this law of attraction? If so, then wouldn’t my dog be very fat as his thoughts would cause him to be presented with endless array of food?
I can laugh it off now and see the truth, but once a series of very serious challenges hit me last year, I got so sick of these law of attraction people telling me ‘be careful of what you are attracting’. It seemed like utter rubbish to me and very egotistical and just crazy to think I had any power to affect these things!
Whilst I believe in being positive where possible, I’m glad that there are sites like this that allow critical thinking and question these simplistic popular pseudo-science theories.
These days I’m aiming to be me, imperfect and occasionally mediocre, yet occasionally inspired, in short- human!
Morgan says: It’s great to read this! As a business owner I was caught up in high level coaching for two years and was surrounded by people singing the praises of the ‘law of attraction’. I sincerely want my business to succeed, so this sounded like great strategy, think it, visualise it and it will come!
However, as the daughter of a scientist, my rational side kept questioning it; why would people suffer atrocities of war and natural disasters? Did their thoughts create it? It seemed too simplistic and ‘moral’ to me. Then you can extend it to, do animals also qualify under this law of attraction? If so, then wouldn’t my dog be very fat as his thoughts would cause him to be presented with endless array of food?
I can laugh it off now and see the truth, but once a series of very serious challenges hit me last year, I got so sick of these law of attraction people telling me ‘be careful of what you are attracting’. It seemed like utter rubbish to me and very egotistical and just crazy to think I had any power to affect these things!
Whilst I believe in being positive where possible, I’m glad that there are sites like this that allow critical thinking and question these simplistic popular pseudo-science theories.
These days I’m aiming to be me, imperfect and occasionally mediocre, yet occasionally inspired, in short- human!
Scottie says: I agree completely! I read the lost symbol and got caught up in keeping myself down to earth because it can be inspiring, but the fact of the matter is, YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT BECAUSE YOU GO FOR IT. when i read the first paragraph i thought, there is some poor girl in a third world country who wants a better life, and maybe shell spend her entire life not giving up hope, if she feels happy then that is great, but the fact of the matter is, she would have to walk somewhere, take a taxi somewhere, get to a stable country and then find her way to a better life…
anyway you put the words down perfectly!
Scottie says: I agree completely! I read the lost symbol and got caught up in keeping myself down to earth because it can be inspiring, but the fact of the matter is, YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT BECAUSE YOU GO FOR IT. when i read the first paragraph i thought, there is some poor girl in a third world country who wants a better life, and maybe shell spend her entire life not giving up hope, if she feels happy then that is great, but the fact of the matter is, she would have to walk somewhere, take a taxi somewhere, get to a stable country and then find her way to a better life…
anyway you put the words down perfectly!
The problem with facing the world of cause and effect, even though that’s what the Law of Attraction is but on a level beyond our physical bodies, is that we connect with the acquisition of the materials we wish to get, instead of the positive notion that we are creative beings and can create our surrounding, life and happiness. When I first tried out the LOA, and it has led me down an incredible spiritual path, it put me in a mindset of feeling fully content with life and what I have, not even needing the said manifestations down the road. I think the LOA may be too complicated a tool given the complicated brains we were given, but the power to connect with our true selves and feel absolute fulfillment regardless of material/social acquisitions, is less of a hokey concept and takes some consideration of whether we are just flesh and blood, or actually connected to something greater.
The problem with facing the world of cause and effect, even though that’s what the Law of Attraction is but on a level beyond our physical bodies, is that we connect with the acquisition of the materials we wish to get, instead of the positive notion that we are creative beings and can create our surrounding, life and happiness. When I first tried out the LOA, and it has led me down an incredible spiritual path, it put me in a mindset of feeling fully content with life and what I have, not even needing the said manifestations down the road. I think the LOA may be too complicated a tool given the complicated brains we were given, but the power to connect with our true selves and feel absolute fulfillment regardless of material/social acquisitions, is less of a hokey concept and takes some consideration of whether we are just flesh and blood, or actually connected to something greater.
Thanks, Colin- I couldn’t agree more! A friend and I have often discussed that the one [and most important] step not included in The Secret is that of ACTION.
Thanks, Colin- I couldn’t agree more! A friend and I have often discussed that the one [and most important] step not included in The Secret is that of ACTION.
Thanks, Colin- I couldn’t agree more! A friend and I have often discussed that the one [and most important] step not included in The Secret is that of ACTION.
@ poster
I agree with all of what you write, but heck… Neanderthal had street markets and currency on which they were selling torches of fire ? xDD
just kidding. i got your point
With exception to the fact that none of your arguments actually go into the facts and merely state that the secret employs several marketing and advertising campaigns, you presented a good argument…
You stated, “It essentially says you can get anything you want if you just WANT it enough!”
If you want to argue that something does not exist the least you can do is look up what it is. The Law of Attraction states that anything you believe to be true about your reality is true. In fact if you want something badly the law of attraction this “want” will give you a lot more to want. You will just want more and more of that specific thing. In other words, you believe that you want something. This belief unfolds in the universe: You now want it even more.
Let us continue:
“Sadly, this is not true. Simply knowing what you want and asking the universe for it will not make it so. Who would be fulfilling these wishes? On what basis would they choose which to fulfill and which to ignore? If you asked for something that contradicted what someone else asked for, whose wish would win?
It’s all just…ah…wishful thinking.”
First please note that the term wish was used as a marketing scheme by the Secret. Wishes are something people understand. This is why the term was used, but if people understood the full meaning of wishes then they would understand that when you wish for something, from, for example, a genie or a leprachan or whatnot, then you have the complete expectation that you get it. In fact if I saw a real live genie, I would have to question the very assumption that I exist, if I saw a genie I would have no problem believing it could also grant wishes. So the term wish is used loosely as something you might order from your universe.
A better word would be order. When you order something from a restaurant, you know its coming and that at the end you’ll have to pay for your meal. When you order something from the universe you know it’s coming and that in the end you will be as happy, sad or whatnot as you expected to be. (Or if you didn’t have an expectation or instead believed in objective reality–then you will experience a random event or at least one that you didn’t consciously expect.) Hence why it is possible to make mistakes–because you have programmed your universe as a place where people make mistakes.
Whenever you act, you are always acting based on someone’s “wish” or really “vision” or “intention” is the best word. You may be acting based on society’s intention (have 2.5 kids a house with picket fence, work hard, etc.) or acting on someone else’s specific vision (Your boss, your parents your friends etc. each of which might have said I am a millionaire or my friends are such tools or my son is a great boy who will grow up to give me grandchildren in a house with a picket fence…) However, the important thing to gather from the Secret or the Law of Attraction is that “the universe” knows what the path of least resistance for you is. So if “one person believes that they won the only lottery ticket” and you believe that “you won $122M” and you both hardcore believe that with absolute conviction and your order is completely in tune and clear for your universe then apparently you will have to have an unexpected relative dieing and the other person will have to have won the lottery. Or the other person will just be offered their dream job with a salary bonus+ a wealthy relative+ their blog just became incredibly popular+etc. The point is: it is happening because you believe it 100%. Its just wishful thinking that is just your opinion but it is true in your reality. You will attract this reality into truth. Also, note how both I and the secret discuss the universe sometimes merely opening doors of oppurtunity or inspirational ideas to make you have whatever your intention was. For example, Andrew Carnegie, the richest man ever to live, only got his job at the steel production place, because he delivered a newspaper or something (I only saw his biography like 7 years ago) to the boss of the steel company. They hired him as a messenger and he worked his way up the corporate ladder, then invented the first monopoly ever and became rich beyond all possible measure (his wealth was probably at least 10x more than Bill Gates’ in his prime).
You never actually stated what quantum physics is, how quantum physics relates or does not relate to the law of attraction. You merely argued that in several instances, “science” was seen as mystical and therefore could be used to justify bogus lies and fraud. Frankly, you probably didn’t do that because you really have no idea how quantum physics relates to it (and neither do I). What it comes down to is that I have experienced the Law of Attraction in my life so I don’t really need science to prove it, but then that is what my blog is all about. http://realizeourdreams.blogspot.com/ proving the law of attraction… If there was no scientific experiment that told you that your hair was brown in natural light, would you believe it anyway-yes. Experience it for yourself, or at least try it first.
Until about 2 days ago I could only prove that the law of attraction was a tautology. You cannot prove whether it is true or not, however then I realized you cannot prove whether objective reality is true or not. I tried the Law of Attraction in a simple experiment and it worked. My results are not very sensational like the secret’s testimonials but they could not be explained by science that I can understand.
With exception to the fact that none of your arguments actually go into the facts and merely state that the secret employs several marketing and advertising campaigns, you presented a good argument…
You stated, “It essentially says you can get anything you want if you just WANT it enough!”
If you want to argue that something does not exist the least you can do is look up what it is. The Law of Attraction states that anything you believe to be true about your reality is true. In fact if you want something badly the law of attraction this “want” will give you a lot more to want. You will just want more and more of that specific thing. In other words, you believe that you want something. This belief unfolds in the universe: You now want it even more.
Let us continue:
“Sadly, this is not true. Simply knowing what you want and asking the universe for it will not make it so. Who would be fulfilling these wishes? On what basis would they choose which to fulfill and which to ignore? If you asked for something that contradicted what someone else asked for, whose wish would win?
It’s all just…ah…wishful thinking.”
First please note that the term wish was used as a marketing scheme by the Secret. Wishes are something people understand. This is why the term was used, but if people understood the full meaning of wishes then they would understand that when you wish for something, from, for example, a genie or a leprachan or whatnot, then you have the complete expectation that you get it. In fact if I saw a real live genie, I would have to question the very assumption that I exist, if I saw a genie I would have no problem believing it could also grant wishes. So the term wish is used loosely as something you might order from your universe.
A better word would be order. When you order something from a restaurant, you know its coming and that at the end you’ll have to pay for your meal. When you order something from the universe you know it’s coming and that in the end you will be as happy, sad or whatnot as you expected to be. (Or if you didn’t have an expectation or instead believed in objective reality–then you will experience a random event or at least one that you didn’t consciously expect.) Hence why it is possible to make mistakes–because you have programmed your universe as a place where people make mistakes.
Whenever you act, you are always acting based on someone’s “wish” or really “vision” or “intention” is the best word. You may be acting based on society’s intention (have 2.5 kids a house with picket fence, work hard, etc.) or acting on someone else’s specific vision (Your boss, your parents your friends etc. each of which might have said I am a millionaire or my friends are such tools or my son is a great boy who will grow up to give me grandchildren in a house with a picket fence…) However, the important thing to gather from the Secret or the Law of Attraction is that “the universe” knows what the path of least resistance for you is. So if “one person believes that they won the only lottery ticket” and you believe that “you won $122M” and you both hardcore believe that with absolute conviction and your order is completely in tune and clear for your universe then apparently you will have to have an unexpected relative dieing and the other person will have to have won the lottery. Or the other person will just be offered their dream job with a salary bonus+ a wealthy relative+ their blog just became incredibly popular+etc. The point is: it is happening because you believe it 100%. Its just wishful thinking that is just your opinion but it is true in your reality. You will attract this reality into truth. Also, note how both I and the secret discuss the universe sometimes merely opening doors of oppurtunity or inspirational ideas to make you have whatever your intention was. For example, Andrew Carnegie, the richest man ever to live, only got his job at the steel production place, because he delivered a newspaper or something (I only saw his biography like 7 years ago) to the boss of the steel company. They hired him as a messenger and he worked his way up the corporate ladder, then invented the first monopoly ever and became rich beyond all possible measure (his wealth was probably at least 10x more than Bill Gates’ in his prime).
You never actually stated what quantum physics is, how quantum physics relates or does not relate to the law of attraction. You merely argued that in several instances, “science” was seen as mystical and therefore could be used to justify bogus lies and fraud. Frankly, you probably didn’t do that because you really have no idea how quantum physics relates to it (and neither do I). What it comes down to is that I have experienced the Law of Attraction in my life so I don’t really need science to prove it, but then that is what my blog is all about. http://realizeourdreams.blogspot.com/ proving the law of attraction… If there was no scientific experiment that told you that your hair was brown in natural light, would you believe it anyway-yes. Experience it for yourself, or at least try it first.
Until about 2 days ago I could only prove that the law of attraction was a tautology. You cannot prove whether it is true or not, however then I realized you cannot prove whether objective reality is true or not. I tried the Law of Attraction in a simple experiment and it worked. My results are not very sensational like the secret’s testimonials but they could not be explained by science that I can understand.
With exception to the fact that none of your arguments actually go into the facts and merely state that the secret employs several marketing and advertising campaigns, you presented a good argument…
You stated, “It essentially says you can get anything you want if you just WANT it enough!”
If you want to argue that something does not exist the least you can do is look up what it is. The Law of Attraction states that anything you believe to be true about your reality is true. In fact if you want something badly the law of attraction this “want” will give you a lot more to want. You will just want more and more of that specific thing. In other words, you believe that you want something. This belief unfolds in the universe: You now want it even more.
Let us continue:
“Sadly, this is not true. Simply knowing what you want and asking the universe for it will not make it so. Who would be fulfilling these wishes? On what basis would they choose which to fulfill and which to ignore? If you asked for something that contradicted what someone else asked for, whose wish would win?
It’s all just…ah…wishful thinking.”
First please note that the term wish was used as a marketing scheme by the Secret. Wishes are something people understand. This is why the term was used, but if people understood the full meaning of wishes then they would understand that when you wish for something, from, for example, a genie or a leprachan or whatnot, then you have the complete expectation that you get it. In fact if I saw a real live genie, I would have to question the very assumption that I exist, if I saw a genie I would have no problem believing it could also grant wishes. So the term wish is used loosely as something you might order from your universe.
A better word would be order. When you order something from a restaurant, you know its coming and that at the end you’ll have to pay for your meal. When you order something from the universe you know it’s coming and that in the end you will be as happy, sad or whatnot as you expected to be. (Or if you didn’t have an expectation or instead believed in objective reality–then you will experience a random event or at least one that you didn’t consciously expect.) Hence why it is possible to make mistakes–because you have programmed your universe as a place where people make mistakes.
Whenever you act, you are always acting based on someone’s “wish” or really “vision” or “intention” is the best word. You may be acting based on society’s intention (have 2.5 kids a house with picket fence, work hard, etc.) or acting on someone else’s specific vision (Your boss, your parents your friends etc. each of which might have said I am a millionaire or my friends are such tools or my son is a great boy who will grow up to give me grandchildren in a house with a picket fence…) However, the important thing to gather from the Secret or the Law of Attraction is that “the universe” knows what the path of least resistance for you is. So if “one person believes that they won the only lottery ticket” and you believe that “you won $122M” and you both hardcore believe that with absolute conviction and your order is completely in tune and clear for your universe then apparently you will have to have an unexpected relative dieing and the other person will have to have won the lottery. Or the other person will just be offered their dream job with a salary bonus+ a wealthy relative+ their blog just became incredibly popular+etc. The point is: it is happening because you believe it 100%. Its just wishful thinking that is just your opinion but it is true in your reality. You will attract this reality into truth. Also, note how both I and the secret discuss the universe sometimes merely opening doors of oppurtunity or inspirational ideas to make you have whatever your intention was. For example, Andrew Carnegie, the richest man ever to live, only got his job at the steel production place, because he delivered a newspaper or something (I only saw his biography like 7 years ago) to the boss of the steel company. They hired him as a messenger and he worked his way up the corporate ladder, then invented the first monopoly ever and became rich beyond all possible measure (his wealth was probably at least 10x more than Bill Gates’ in his prime).
You never actually stated what quantum physics is, how quantum physics relates or does not relate to the law of attraction. You merely argued that in several instances, “science” was seen as mystical and therefore could be used to justify bogus lies and fraud. Frankly, you probably didn’t do that because you really have no idea how quantum physics relates to it (and neither do I). What it comes down to is that I have experienced the Law of Attraction in my life so I don’t really need science to prove it, but then that is what my blog is all about. http://realizeourdreams.blogspot.com/ proving the law of attraction… If there was no scientific experiment that told you that your hair was brown in natural light, would you believe it anyway-yes. Experience it for yourself, or at least try it first.
Until about 2 days ago I could only prove that the law of attraction was a tautology. You cannot prove whether it is true or not, however then I realized you cannot prove whether objective reality is true or not. I tried the Law of Attraction in a simple experiment and it worked. My results are not very sensational like the secret’s testimonials but they could not be explained by science that I can understand.
@IamAlsoThat: First, I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Second, I’m afraid you didn’t really add anything new to the argument, as much as you are clearly passionate about the subject matter.
Wading through all the words, your main argument is still “The Law of Attraction is true because I’ve seen it work and you can’t prove me wrong.”
Sorry, but that is not proof, that is correlation. Correlation is not causation, and one person’s experience does not make a Law, it makes a good story.
Also: for a quick and dirty background on quantum physics (something that I read about quite frequently, actually, so if you want a good book about it let me know and I can recommend a few), check out the Wikipedia entry.
@IamAlsoThat: First, I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Second, I’m afraid you didn’t really add anything new to the argument, as much as you are clearly passionate about the subject matter.
Wading through all the words, your main argument is still “The Law of Attraction is true because I’ve seen it work and you can’t prove me wrong.”
Sorry, but that is not proof, that is correlation. Correlation is not causation, and one person’s experience does not make a Law, it makes a good story.
Also: for a quick and dirty background on quantum physics (something that I read about quite frequently, actually, so if you want a good book about it let me know and I can recommend a few), check out the Wikipedia entry.
OK first note: you still never addressed how quantum physics does or does not prove the law of attraction. Only used ethos.
Second: Your argument that the Law of Attraction differs from the Law of Gravity because essentially the Law of Gravity is non-tautological is also not true. The Law of Gravity is a tautology if reality is subjective.
For instance, assume The Law of Attraction exists.
You design an experiment in which the Law of Gravity could be “proved” or “observed”.
Therefore, for a demonstration you drop an apple out of tree. And say “see Gravity exists”.
If the apple falls. You can weakly argue that either gravity exists because it exists or because you created to exist.
You would create it to exist even if you were the most rigorous scientist and able to think “I don’t know whether this apple will fall or not”
because of the following factors: society will continue to exist and therefore people with other visions of gravity existing.
The fact that you are standing on the ground and not floating when you drop the apple will strongly subconsciously hurt your unbiased perspective that the apple will fall.
By measuring whether the apple fell you are presuming that it might either fall or not fall and therefore believing that something outside of your control will happen. Which means that the apple falling will revert to society’s perspective on what shall happen.
Therefore the “Law of Gravity” could not be proved.
OK first note: you still never addressed how quantum physics does or does not prove the law of attraction. Only used ethos.
Second: Your argument that the Law of Attraction differs from the Law of Gravity because essentially the Law of Gravity is non-tautological is also not true. The Law of Gravity is a tautology if reality is subjective.
For instance, assume The Law of Attraction exists.
You design an experiment in which the Law of Gravity could be “proved” or “observed”.
Therefore, for a demonstration you drop an apple out of tree. And say “see Gravity exists”.
If the apple falls. You can weakly argue that either gravity exists because it exists or because you created to exist.
You would create it to exist even if you were the most rigorous scientist and able to think “I don’t know whether this apple will fall or not”
because of the following factors: society will continue to exist and therefore people with other visions of gravity existing.
The fact that you are standing on the ground and not floating when you drop the apple will strongly subconsciously hurt your unbiased perspective that the apple will fall.
By measuring whether the apple fell you are presuming that it might either fall or not fall and therefore believing that something outside of your control will happen. Which means that the apple falling will revert to society’s perspective on what shall happen.
Therefore the “Law of Gravity” could not be proved.
OK first note: you still never addressed how quantum physics does or does not prove the law of attraction. Only used ethos.
Second: Your argument that the Law of Attraction differs from the Law of Gravity because essentially the Law of Gravity is non-tautological is also not true. The Law of Gravity is a tautology if reality is subjective.
For instance, assume The Law of Attraction exists.
You design an experiment in which the Law of Gravity could be “proved” or “observed”.
Therefore, for a demonstration you drop an apple out of tree. And say “see Gravity exists”.
If the apple falls. You can weakly argue that either gravity exists because it exists or because you created to exist.
You would create it to exist even if you were the most rigorous scientist and able to think “I don’t know whether this apple will fall or not”
because of the following factors: society will continue to exist and therefore people with other visions of gravity existing.
The fact that you are standing on the ground and not floating when you drop the apple will strongly subconsciously hurt your unbiased perspective that the apple will fall.
By measuring whether the apple fell you are presuming that it might either fall or not fall and therefore believing that something outside of your control will happen. Which means that the apple falling will revert to society’s perspective on what shall happen.
Therefore the “Law of Gravity” could not be proved.
Correlation and Causation have nothing to do with this…
Causation is proved when all variables except for the variable of question are controlled. Hopefully we agree on this definition.
In my experimentation with the Law of Attraction. I had all variables controlled except for my belief.
My experiment followed this method:
I stood on the ground several thousand meters away from the clouds above me. I had no access or control over wind, dew point, condensation, or airpressure nor anything else regarding the clouds above me.
I then looked at a cloud and visualized it disappearing. Convinced myself that it was disappearing. Believed completely that it was dissipating before my eyes. And it dissipated before my eyes within about a minute. I decided that another factor could be at play the wind sun, heat, or perhaps all clouds of that approximate size disappear. Therefore I selected another cloud relatively randomly (by twirling in place with my eyes closed until I opened them again and immediately selected a small cloud). I repeated the process, once again imagining the cloud disappearing, telling myself that it is dissipating, etc. It started disappearing faster than the last one. But I decided to stop it mid-disappearance such that it will remain existent… the cloud stopped disappearing after about 10 seconds. I ran a few more trials including enlarging a cloud and poking a hole in another cloud. It is possible for the results of each of these experiments to all be correlations but I doubt it. That would suggest that of all clouds the cloud which I happened to choose at relative random either enlarged, shrank, poked a hole in or stopped shrinking were about to do all of those actions anyway…
In statistics however when the probability of something being coincidental approaches 0 (or rather is less than 5% in most cases) and the experiment is relatively controlled we say there is causation.
Correlation and Causation have nothing to do with this…
Causation is proved when all variables except for the variable of question are controlled. Hopefully we agree on this definition.
In my experimentation with the Law of Attraction. I had all variables controlled except for my belief.
My experiment followed this method:
I stood on the ground several thousand meters away from the clouds above me. I had no access or control over wind, dew point, condensation, or airpressure nor anything else regarding the clouds above me.
I then looked at a cloud and visualized it disappearing. Convinced myself that it was disappearing. Believed completely that it was dissipating before my eyes. And it dissipated before my eyes within about a minute. I decided that another factor could be at play the wind sun, heat, or perhaps all clouds of that approximate size disappear. Therefore I selected another cloud relatively randomly (by twirling in place with my eyes closed until I opened them again and immediately selected a small cloud). I repeated the process, once again imagining the cloud disappearing, telling myself that it is dissipating, etc. It started disappearing faster than the last one. But I decided to stop it mid-disappearance such that it will remain existent… the cloud stopped disappearing after about 10 seconds. I ran a few more trials including enlarging a cloud and poking a hole in another cloud. It is possible for the results of each of these experiments to all be correlations but I doubt it. That would suggest that of all clouds the cloud which I happened to choose at relative random either enlarged, shrank, poked a hole in or stopped shrinking were about to do all of those actions anyway…
In statistics however when the probability of something being coincidental approaches 0 (or rather is less than 5% in most cases) and the experiment is relatively controlled we say there is causation.
Correlation and Causation have nothing to do with this…
Causation is proved when all variables except for the variable of question are controlled. Hopefully we agree on this definition.
In my experimentation with the Law of Attraction. I had all variables controlled except for my belief.
My experiment followed this method:
I stood on the ground several thousand meters away from the clouds above me. I had no access or control over wind, dew point, condensation, or airpressure nor anything else regarding the clouds above me.
I then looked at a cloud and visualized it disappearing. Convinced myself that it was disappearing. Believed completely that it was dissipating before my eyes. And it dissipated before my eyes within about a minute. I decided that another factor could be at play the wind sun, heat, or perhaps all clouds of that approximate size disappear. Therefore I selected another cloud relatively randomly (by twirling in place with my eyes closed until I opened them again and immediately selected a small cloud). I repeated the process, once again imagining the cloud disappearing, telling myself that it is dissipating, etc. It started disappearing faster than the last one. But I decided to stop it mid-disappearance such that it will remain existent… the cloud stopped disappearing after about 10 seconds. I ran a few more trials including enlarging a cloud and poking a hole in another cloud. It is possible for the results of each of these experiments to all be correlations but I doubt it. That would suggest that of all clouds the cloud which I happened to choose at relative random either enlarged, shrank, poked a hole in or stopped shrinking were about to do all of those actions anyway…
In statistics however when the probability of something being coincidental approaches 0 (or rather is less than 5% in most cases) and the experiment is relatively controlled we say there is causation.
@IamAlsoThat: Frankly I don’t feel the need to take the time (or massive amount of space) required to tell you exactly why it’s laughable to try to disprove something based on a belief system, especially with a science as complicated as quantum physics.
You cannot disprove that there are unicorns either. Does that mean that I should have to disprove them? No. The burden of proof lay with the person making the claim. It’s up to you to prove to me that the Law of Attraction exists.
As for your experiment, I think it’s clear that you have super powers.
But seriously, send me a video of this happening. If you did it once, I have no doubt that you can do it again. Prove to me that you can make something happen with your willpower alone, and then repeat the process over and over again, and record your results and processes so that others can confirm them after trying them yourself.
At that point you’ve got something much closer to science. Until then, you’re just another snake oil salesman with personal experiences that you are sure must be special and no concept of coincidence, the scientific model or why others don’t believe your stories.
Sorry to be so harsh with this, because it’s clear you believe strongly in the Secret and all that, but honestly, when we get to the point where mysticism supersedes REAL scientific breakthroughs, then we certainly won’t have these fancy computers we’re both typing on, because you can be sure nobody wished them into being.
@IamAlsoThat: Frankly I don’t feel the need to take the time (or massive amount of space) required to tell you exactly why it’s laughable to try to disprove something based on a belief system, especially with a science as complicated as quantum physics.
You cannot disprove that there are unicorns either. Does that mean that I should have to disprove them? No. The burden of proof lay with the person making the claim. It’s up to you to prove to me that the Law of Attraction exists.
As for your experiment, I think it’s clear that you have super powers.
But seriously, send me a video of this happening. If you did it once, I have no doubt that you can do it again. Prove to me that you can make something happen with your willpower alone, and then repeat the process over and over again, and record your results and processes so that others can confirm them after trying them yourself.
At that point you’ve got something much closer to science. Until then, you’re just another snake oil salesman with personal experiences that you are sure must be special and no concept of coincidence, the scientific model or why others don’t believe your stories.
Sorry to be so harsh with this, because it’s clear you believe strongly in the Secret and all that, but honestly, when we get to the point where mysticism supersedes REAL scientific breakthroughs, then we certainly won’t have these fancy computers we’re both typing on, because you can be sure nobody wished them into being.
@IamAlsoThat: Frankly I don’t feel the need to take the time (or massive amount of space) required to tell you exactly why it’s laughable to try to disprove something based on a belief system, especially with a science as complicated as quantum physics.
You cannot disprove that there are unicorns either. Does that mean that I should have to disprove them? No. The burden of proof lay with the person making the claim. It’s up to you to prove to me that the Law of Attraction exists.
As for your experiment, I think it’s clear that you have super powers.
But seriously, send me a video of this happening. If you did it once, I have no doubt that you can do it again. Prove to me that you can make something happen with your willpower alone, and then repeat the process over and over again, and record your results and processes so that others can confirm them after trying them yourself.
At that point you’ve got something much closer to science. Until then, you’re just another snake oil salesman with personal experiences that you are sure must be special and no concept of coincidence, the scientific model or why others don’t believe your stories.
Sorry to be so harsh with this, because it’s clear you believe strongly in the Secret and all that, but honestly, when we get to the point where mysticism supersedes REAL scientific breakthroughs, then we certainly won’t have these fancy computers we’re both typing on, because you can be sure nobody wished them into being.
The people who believe this crap, are so confused and caught up in this snake oil that they will defend it no matter what.
There is no (I’ll repeat that) “no”, scientific evidence which proves that the claims made by these guys are in way shape or form true. None!
The people who believe this crap, are so confused and caught up in this snake oil that they will defend it no matter what.
There is no (I’ll repeat that) “no”, scientific evidence which proves that the claims made by these guys are in way shape or form true. None!
The people who believe this crap, are so confused and caught up in this snake oil that they will defend it no matter what.
There is no (I’ll repeat that) “no”, scientific evidence which proves that the claims made by these guys are in way shape or form true. None!
I think if you believe something enough, you will look for ways to correlate your beliefs with the facts around you. This is a common fallacy that the human mind makes because it is very hard to be completely unbiased. I’m sure there are many bad things that happen to people who try the Law of Attraction, but they ignore these and concentrate on the positive things that happen instead. So, they selectively pick their data and say “see, it works!”
I’m more apt to go with the Burgess Meridith philosophy: “You can wish in one hand and crap in the other and see which gets filled first.” Wishing only gets you so far. I would say if you want something to happen, stop thinking about it and do it.
I think if you believe something enough, you will look for ways to correlate your beliefs with the facts around you. This is a common fallacy that the human mind makes because it is very hard to be completely unbiased. I’m sure there are many bad things that happen to people who try the Law of Attraction, but they ignore these and concentrate on the positive things that happen instead. So, they selectively pick their data and say “see, it works!”
I’m more apt to go with the Burgess Meridith philosophy: “You can wish in one hand and crap in the other and see which gets filled first.” Wishing only gets you so far. I would say if you want something to happen, stop thinking about it and do it.
You can just as easily not prove that I exist or that you exist, nor that the sun exists, nor the big bang.
Prove the “Law” of cause and effect. I have a few questions on it. You believe there is a cause for everything correct? What caused the universe to come to first exist? Lets say you believe in the big bang theory?
What caused the big bang?
What caused the particles in the big bang to exist?
What caused the discrepancies with the Big Bang and the gravitational pull from the center of the universe?
“dark matter is a conjectured form of matter that is undetectable by its emitted electromagnetic radiation, but whose presence can be inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter and background radiation.[1] Its existence has been hypothesized to account for recently discovered discrepancies between measurements of the mass of the universe by gravitational methods, and measurements based on visible objects (galaxies, gas, dust).[2]”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_matter
This dark matter is a conjecture just like the existence of invisible pink unicorns or the law of attraction as is stated even by the scientific community. Dark matter is what astrophysicists have named the cause for the problems with their calculations. If dark matter exists, why is that we have no evidence of it within our galaxy. Astronomers have already been capable of viewing over 4 octillion planets but we still have not been able to detect dark matter– To say the least about dark energy. Why do you believe the astronomer voodoo magic and not the law of attraction something which can be demonstrated in 5 minutes? Even if Dark matter exists, what created dark matter? What created dark energy?
As you said when you believe in magic it is not very smart. To believe in cause in effect is to believe in magic, because you suggest that all things have a cause and therefore the universe beginning has a cause and the thing that would cause that would have to be something… and that something will have to be caused by something… ad infinitum. If everything requires a cause in your philosophy then you need a cause for the first cause. I’m no Saint Thomas of Aquinas who will tell you God is the first cause for everything in the universe. Because the fallacy there is what created God? The truth is the “Law of Cause-and-Effect” cannot be proven any more or less than the Law of attraction or the theory that pink unicorns created everything you see…
As to people believing this snake-oil salesman bullshit called the Law of Attraction because it is a marketing ploy so too, are money-making scientist that will tell you Dark matter and dark energy exist they just can’t be detected or seen anywhere.
Again, wishing is not a correct term when you wish for something to happen. Wishing suggests that you want something, wanting something attracts (according to the law of attraction) more reason to want. However, believing you have something attracts you having something.
As to confirmation bias (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias) what you referred to as the “fallacy” in which people say “So, they selectively pick their data and say “see, it works!†I did not use a hundered trials and say see it works because I ignored 96 trials. I only did this experiment with 4 trials, but in my blog I intend to video tape it with 2 different video cameras one constantly shaking so that you will know that I did not edit it in anyway or tamper with it. The other I shall keep steadily on a tripod. I will actually speak my intentions out loud and demonstrate the law of attraction with 20 trials on each of my 4 purported “super-powers” which only I have alone.
If you read my blog I said that the original experiment I conducted was only a pilot study. However, once I have 2 video cameras and another witnesses I shall perform this again, recorded. In either case this will not prove this to anyone, because like you said I could be some sort of anomaly. But this demonstration is to make you at least attempt this and see how it works for you. Maybe you have the same super powers maybe not. Its really like a 5 minute process to try it and the materials needed are only a small cloud and your mind.
You can just as easily not prove that I exist or that you exist, nor that the sun exists, nor the big bang.
Prove the “Law” of cause and effect. I have a few questions on it. You believe there is a cause for everything correct? What caused the universe to come to first exist? Lets say you believe in the big bang theory?
What caused the big bang?
What caused the particles in the big bang to exist?
What caused the discrepancies with the Big Bang and the gravitational pull from the center of the universe?
“dark matter is a conjectured form of matter that is undetectable by its emitted electromagnetic radiation, but whose presence can be inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter and background radiation.[1] Its existence has been hypothesized to account for recently discovered discrepancies between measurements of the mass of the universe by gravitational methods, and measurements based on visible objects (galaxies, gas, dust).[2]”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_matter
This dark matter is a conjecture just like the existence of invisible pink unicorns or the law of attraction as is stated even by the scientific community. Dark matter is what astrophysicists have named the cause for the problems with their calculations. If dark matter exists, why is that we have no evidence of it within our galaxy. Astronomers have already been capable of viewing over 4 octillion planets but we still have not been able to detect dark matter– To say the least about dark energy. Why do you believe the astronomer voodoo magic and not the law of attraction something which can be demonstrated in 5 minutes? Even if Dark matter exists, what created dark matter? What created dark energy?
As you said when you believe in magic it is not very smart. To believe in cause in effect is to believe in magic, because you suggest that all things have a cause and therefore the universe beginning has a cause and the thing that would cause that would have to be something… and that something will have to be caused by something… ad infinitum. If everything requires a cause in your philosophy then you need a cause for the first cause. I’m no Saint Thomas of Aquinas who will tell you God is the first cause for everything in the universe. Because the fallacy there is what created God? The truth is the “Law of Cause-and-Effect” cannot be proven any more or less than the Law of attraction or the theory that pink unicorns created everything you see…
As to people believing this snake-oil salesman bullshit called the Law of Attraction because it is a marketing ploy so too, are money-making scientist that will tell you Dark matter and dark energy exist they just can’t be detected or seen anywhere.
Again, wishing is not a correct term when you wish for something to happen. Wishing suggests that you want something, wanting something attracts (according to the law of attraction) more reason to want. However, believing you have something attracts you having something.
As to confirmation bias (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias) what you referred to as the “fallacy” in which people say “So, they selectively pick their data and say “see, it works!†I did not use a hundered trials and say see it works because I ignored 96 trials. I only did this experiment with 4 trials, but in my blog I intend to video tape it with 2 different video cameras one constantly shaking so that you will know that I did not edit it in anyway or tamper with it. The other I shall keep steadily on a tripod. I will actually speak my intentions out loud and demonstrate the law of attraction with 20 trials on each of my 4 purported “super-powers” which only I have alone.
If you read my blog I said that the original experiment I conducted was only a pilot study. However, once I have 2 video cameras and another witnesses I shall perform this again, recorded. In either case this will not prove this to anyone, because like you said I could be some sort of anomaly. But this demonstration is to make you at least attempt this and see how it works for you. Maybe you have the same super powers maybe not. Its really like a 5 minute process to try it and the materials needed are only a small cloud and your mind.
You can just as easily not prove that I exist or that you exist, nor that the sun exists, nor the big bang.
Prove the “Law” of cause and effect. I have a few questions on it. You believe there is a cause for everything correct? What caused the universe to come to first exist? Lets say you believe in the big bang theory?
What caused the big bang?
What caused the particles in the big bang to exist?
What caused the discrepancies with the Big Bang and the gravitational pull from the center of the universe?
“dark matter is a conjectured form of matter that is undetectable by its emitted electromagnetic radiation, but whose presence can be inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter and background radiation.[1] Its existence has been hypothesized to account for recently discovered discrepancies between measurements of the mass of the universe by gravitational methods, and measurements based on visible objects (galaxies, gas, dust).[2]”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_matter
This dark matter is a conjecture just like the existence of invisible pink unicorns or the law of attraction as is stated even by the scientific community. Dark matter is what astrophysicists have named the cause for the problems with their calculations. If dark matter exists, why is that we have no evidence of it within our galaxy. Astronomers have already been capable of viewing over 4 octillion planets but we still have not been able to detect dark matter– To say the least about dark energy. Why do you believe the astronomer voodoo magic and not the law of attraction something which can be demonstrated in 5 minutes? Even if Dark matter exists, what created dark matter? What created dark energy?
As you said when you believe in magic it is not very smart. To believe in cause in effect is to believe in magic, because you suggest that all things have a cause and therefore the universe beginning has a cause and the thing that would cause that would have to be something… and that something will have to be caused by something… ad infinitum. If everything requires a cause in your philosophy then you need a cause for the first cause. I’m no Saint Thomas of Aquinas who will tell you God is the first cause for everything in the universe. Because the fallacy there is what created God? The truth is the “Law of Cause-and-Effect” cannot be proven any more or less than the Law of attraction or the theory that pink unicorns created everything you see…
As to people believing this snake-oil salesman bullshit called the Law of Attraction because it is a marketing ploy so too, are money-making scientist that will tell you Dark matter and dark energy exist they just can’t be detected or seen anywhere.
Again, wishing is not a correct term when you wish for something to happen. Wishing suggests that you want something, wanting something attracts (according to the law of attraction) more reason to want. However, believing you have something attracts you having something.
As to confirmation bias (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias) what you referred to as the “fallacy” in which people say “So, they selectively pick their data and say “see, it works!†I did not use a hundered trials and say see it works because I ignored 96 trials. I only did this experiment with 4 trials, but in my blog I intend to video tape it with 2 different video cameras one constantly shaking so that you will know that I did not edit it in anyway or tamper with it. The other I shall keep steadily on a tripod. I will actually speak my intentions out loud and demonstrate the law of attraction with 20 trials on each of my 4 purported “super-powers” which only I have alone.
If you read my blog I said that the original experiment I conducted was only a pilot study. However, once I have 2 video cameras and another witnesses I shall perform this again, recorded. In either case this will not prove this to anyone, because like you said I could be some sort of anomaly. But this demonstration is to make you at least attempt this and see how it works for you. Maybe you have the same super powers maybe not. Its really like a 5 minute process to try it and the materials needed are only a small cloud and your mind.
I’m thinking that I should just step back and let you argue with the imaginary version of me you seem to be answering for.
Anything is possible, buddy, but it sounds like you’re just as guilty of what you’re sassing me for…well, the imaginary version of me at least.
I do happen to have, oh I don’t know, the scientific community to do the research for me and tell me what they find out. You have the likes of L. Ron Hubbard, Joseph Smith and Charles Ponzi to tell you what the universe looks like.
Get back to me when you get those cameras up and running.
I’m thinking that I should just step back and let you argue with the imaginary version of me you seem to be answering for.
Anything is possible, buddy, but it sounds like you’re just as guilty of what you’re sassing me for…well, the imaginary version of me at least.
I do happen to have, oh I don’t know, the scientific community to do the research for me and tell me what they find out. You have the likes of L. Ron Hubbard, Joseph Smith and Charles Ponzi to tell you what the universe looks like.
Get back to me when you get those cameras up and running.
I’m thinking that I should just step back and let you argue with the imaginary version of me you seem to be answering for.
Anything is possible, buddy, but it sounds like you’re just as guilty of what you’re sassing me for…well, the imaginary version of me at least.
I do happen to have, oh I don’t know, the scientific community to do the research for me and tell me what they find out. You have the likes of L. Ron Hubbard, Joseph Smith and Charles Ponzi to tell you what the universe looks like.
Get back to me when you get those cameras up and running.
Haha ;) got a few thousand laying around for me to buy them.
I guess I’ll have to attract them. :)
Sorry for being harsh myself. I shall do this. I, now do own 2 video cameras.
Let’s see how long it will take to get service.
Haha ;) got a few thousand laying around for me to buy them.
I guess I’ll have to attract them. :)
Sorry for being harsh myself. I shall do this. I, now do own 2 video cameras.
Let’s see how long it will take to get service.
I thought I might share with you a replicated article in a peer-review journal, which can be found in PubMed, which suggests causal evidence for intentions affecting crystal formation. The double blind study had its hypothesis proven at the p=.001 level. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16979104
Admittedly this original study had some flaws however it was replicated by the authors with all criticisms addressed and the study found the same results, learn more here: http://deanradin.blogspot.com/2009/01/water-crystal-replication-study.html
Another causation study:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15025885
From colin:
“What makes science different from faith or simply wanting something to be true is that it is testable and changeable…if new discoveries come to light, then the ‘law’ changes. That’s just how it works (it may take time to update the textbooks, but that’s an issue of logistics, not scientific approval).”
New evidence in the scientific community suggests that intentions alone affect “objective reality”.
The following are more articles which imply the Law of Attraction however can be seen as merely positive psychology.
http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2003/05.08/01-hypnosis.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1668247.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8498233.stm
I thought I might share with you a replicated article in a peer-review journal, which can be found in PubMed, which suggests causal evidence for intentions affecting crystal formation. The double blind study had its hypothesis proven at the p=.001 level. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16979104
Admittedly this original study had some flaws however it was replicated by the authors with all criticisms addressed and the study found the same results, learn more here: http://deanradin.blogspot.com/2009/01/water-crystal-replication-study.html
Another causation study:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15025885
From colin:
“What makes science different from faith or simply wanting something to be true is that it is testable and changeable…if new discoveries come to light, then the ‘law’ changes. That’s just how it works (it may take time to update the textbooks, but that’s an issue of logistics, not scientific approval).”
New evidence in the scientific community suggests that intentions alone affect “objective reality”.
The following are more articles which imply the Law of Attraction however can be seen as merely positive psychology.
http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2003/05.08/01-hypnosis.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1668247.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8498233.stm
I’m tired. Mostly of people arguing about this when both sides essentially agree.
You’re right. LoA, as taught by The Secret, is utter BS. No matter what anyone tells you, LoA is NOT based in quantum physics. Even when I used to believe in it the way it’s presented nowadays, I still thought the basis in quantum physics is BS.
LoA really can’t have a scientific basis, since it doesn’t work on that level. It’s independent of anything observable. It’s not some mystic mumbo-jumbo. We’re not altering particles, nor waves, nor beams of light. It just doesn’t work in the physical realm, just as the only physical thing paperwork accomplishes is putting ink on paper. The rest is an idea that it symbolizes.
And it’s not just wanting and getting. Once you understand the action, it’s not much more complicated than that, but in LoA, understanding what you’re supposed to do as opposed to what shoves things away from you is what takes most of the work.
LoA works primarily with want, yeah, but you can’t just want something and then get it. You have to want it ENOUGH. And that often means (and this is the crucial point) ACTION.
“I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” -Henry David Thoreau
Probably the best representation of what LoA actually means. There is no lack of action. Instead, there is advance, endeavor, imagine… It doesn’t mean you get it with no work, just slightly less work. And possibly quicker.
LoA in this sense, can’t be controversial. Who can say you won’t get what you want faster and easier if you advance, endeavor and imagine?
But if that were all that LoA is, we wouldn’t call it a law. That’s common sense. We wouldn’t call it anything.
The law gains meaning and becomes controversial in two ways:
1. You can alter probability.
This has sort of been tested, in that an unobserved computer flipping a virtual coin got heads or tails about half of the time. That same computer, observed by a biased individual (human), then showed slightly skewed results, in favor of either heads or tails, depending on the bias.
Curious, but I wouldn’t say definitive. I’ve done the same thing on my own with my iPod touch, getting exactly 5/5 (in a 10 flip trial) on heads or tails with no bias, and skewing maybe one or two points in either direction, depending on whether I wanted more heads or more tails.
2. Anything is possible.
This cannot be falsified, which is why people who attempt to argue both sides of this point do not succeed.
This is, however, completely independent of your point. I don’t know whether or not you actually believe anything is possible, but I assume that you must. In the same way that a bunch of mystics will sit around and hope real hard to cure cancer, a person who believes there are things we just can’t do will similarly sit around and mope real hard about how we can’t.
You are correct in your point, absolutely. Just know that there are some of us who think like you, but choose the mask of LoA to represent our ideas.
We’re not all mystic crackpots.
/<3
I’m tired. Mostly of people arguing about this when both sides essentially agree.
You’re right. LoA, as taught by The Secret, is utter BS. No matter what anyone tells you, LoA is NOT based in quantum physics. Even when I used to believe in it the way it’s presented nowadays, I still thought the basis in quantum physics is BS.
LoA really can’t have a scientific basis, since it doesn’t work on that level. It’s independent of anything observable. It’s not some mystic mumbo-jumbo. We’re not altering particles, nor waves, nor beams of light. It just doesn’t work in the physical realm, just as the only physical thing paperwork accomplishes is putting ink on paper. The rest is an idea that it symbolizes.
And it’s not just wanting and getting. Once you understand the action, it’s not much more complicated than that, but in LoA, understanding what you’re supposed to do as opposed to what shoves things away from you is what takes most of the work.
LoA works primarily with want, yeah, but you can’t just want something and then get it. You have to want it ENOUGH. And that often means (and this is the crucial point) ACTION.
“I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” -Henry David Thoreau
Probably the best representation of what LoA actually means. There is no lack of action. Instead, there is advance, endeavor, imagine… It doesn’t mean you get it with no work, just slightly less work. And possibly quicker.
LoA in this sense, can’t be controversial. Who can say you won’t get what you want faster and easier if you advance, endeavor and imagine?
But if that were all that LoA is, we wouldn’t call it a law. That’s common sense. We wouldn’t call it anything.
The law gains meaning and becomes controversial in two ways:
1. You can alter probability.
This has sort of been tested, in that an unobserved computer flipping a virtual coin got heads or tails about half of the time. That same computer, observed by a biased individual (human), then showed slightly skewed results, in favor of either heads or tails, depending on the bias.
Curious, but I wouldn’t say definitive. I’ve done the same thing on my own with my iPod touch, getting exactly 5/5 (in a 10 flip trial) on heads or tails with no bias, and skewing maybe one or two points in either direction, depending on whether I wanted more heads or more tails.
2. Anything is possible.
This cannot be falsified, which is why people who attempt to argue both sides of this point do not succeed.
This is, however, completely independent of your point. I don’t know whether or not you actually believe anything is possible, but I assume that you must. In the same way that a bunch of mystics will sit around and hope real hard to cure cancer, a person who believes there are things we just can’t do will similarly sit around and mope real hard about how we can’t.
You are correct in your point, absolutely. Just know that there are some of us who think like you, but choose the mask of LoA to represent our ideas.
We’re not all mystic crackpots.
/<3
I’m tired. Mostly of people arguing about this when both sides essentially agree.
You’re right. LoA, as taught by The Secret, is utter BS. No matter what anyone tells you, LoA is NOT based in quantum physics. Even when I used to believe in it the way it’s presented nowadays, I still thought the basis in quantum physics is BS.
LoA really can’t have a scientific basis, since it doesn’t work on that level. It’s independent of anything observable. It’s not some mystic mumbo-jumbo. We’re not altering particles, nor waves, nor beams of light. It just doesn’t work in the physical realm, just as the only physical thing paperwork accomplishes is putting ink on paper. The rest is an idea that it symbolizes.
And it’s not just wanting and getting. Once you understand the action, it’s not much more complicated than that, but in LoA, understanding what you’re supposed to do as opposed to what shoves things away from you is what takes most of the work.
LoA works primarily with want, yeah, but you can’t just want something and then get it. You have to want it ENOUGH. And that often means (and this is the crucial point) ACTION.
“I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” -Henry David Thoreau
Probably the best representation of what LoA actually means. There is no lack of action. Instead, there is advance, endeavor, imagine… It doesn’t mean you get it with no work, just slightly less work. And possibly quicker.
LoA in this sense, can’t be controversial. Who can say you won’t get what you want faster and easier if you advance, endeavor and imagine?
But if that were all that LoA is, we wouldn’t call it a law. That’s common sense. We wouldn’t call it anything.
The law gains meaning and becomes controversial in two ways:
1. You can alter probability.
This has sort of been tested, in that an unobserved computer flipping a virtual coin got heads or tails about half of the time. That same computer, observed by a biased individual (human), then showed slightly skewed results, in favor of either heads or tails, depending on the bias.
Curious, but I wouldn’t say definitive. I’ve done the same thing on my own with my iPod touch, getting exactly 5/5 (in a 10 flip trial) on heads or tails with no bias, and skewing maybe one or two points in either direction, depending on whether I wanted more heads or more tails.
2. Anything is possible.
This cannot be falsified, which is why people who attempt to argue both sides of this point do not succeed.
This is, however, completely independent of your point. I don’t know whether or not you actually believe anything is possible, but I assume that you must. In the same way that a bunch of mystics will sit around and hope real hard to cure cancer, a person who believes there are things we just can’t do will similarly sit around and mope real hard about how we can’t.
You are correct in your point, absolutely. Just know that there are some of us who think like you, but choose the mask of LoA to represent our ideas.
We’re not all mystic crackpots.
/<3
Secondwind says: Yup. Totally agree with you here. I can just make up a scenario out of my mind right now.
Person A bought “The Secret” and wants to lose weight.
Person B doesn’t believe in the secret and wants to lose weight.
Person A follows “The Secret” and believes that if he/she thinks about it enough, he/she will lose weight.
Person B, however, works out and tries hard to restrict his/her diet.
In the end, since Person A never changed his/her lifestyle, nothing happens no matter how much she thinks about losing weight.
Person B, because he/she did all the hard work ends up losing weight and is fit.
Come on people. Common sense. This was the biggest scam I ever saw. And why does it captivate so many people? It seems to say that anyone can get anything WITHOUT DOING ANY WORK. I myself am Christian and it doesn’t matter the religion but the bottom line is “If you want something, WORK HARD to get it.”
Guess the human race is just far lazy to get up and work hard these days. And quantum physics? -facepalm-
Secondwind says: Yup. Totally agree with you here. I can just make up a scenario out of my mind right now.
Person A bought “The Secret” and wants to lose weight.
Person B doesn’t believe in the secret and wants to lose weight.
Person A follows “The Secret” and believes that if he/she thinks about it enough, he/she will lose weight.
Person B, however, works out and tries hard to restrict his/her diet.
In the end, since Person A never changed his/her lifestyle, nothing happens no matter how much she thinks about losing weight.
Person B, because he/she did all the hard work ends up losing weight and is fit.
Come on people. Common sense. This was the biggest scam I ever saw. And why does it captivate so many people? It seems to say that anyone can get anything WITHOUT DOING ANY WORK. I myself am Christian and it doesn’t matter the religion but the bottom line is “If you want something, WORK HARD to get it.”
Guess the human race is just far lazy to get up and work hard these days. And quantum physics? -facepalm-
Secondwind says: Yup. Totally agree with you here. I can just make up a scenario out of my mind right now.
Person A bought “The Secret” and wants to lose weight.
Person B doesn’t believe in the secret and wants to lose weight.
Person A follows “The Secret” and believes that if he/she thinks about it enough, he/she will lose weight.
Person B, however, works out and tries hard to restrict his/her diet.
In the end, since Person A never changed his/her lifestyle, nothing happens no matter how much she thinks about losing weight.
Person B, because he/she did all the hard work ends up losing weight and is fit.
Come on people. Common sense. This was the biggest scam I ever saw. And why does it captivate so many people? It seems to say that anyone can get anything WITHOUT DOING ANY WORK. I myself am Christian and it doesn’t matter the religion but the bottom line is “If you want something, WORK HARD to get it.”
Guess the human race is just far lazy to get up and work hard these days. And quantum physics? -facepalm-
[...] for my own blog on google and one of the top hits was this site where the poster, posted this post:The Law of Attraction is Bullshit Anyway I started debating this guy and several people joined the debate–mostly on his side that [...]
I can’t believe I read all that commentary…
OK my thoughts are that @Rick Walker shared the wrong verse, if we’re going by @Raam Dev’s definition of the Law of Attraction, which I believe to be the most accurate. He should have put up Matthew 13:12. It says that the person that has will be given more and the person that doesn’t have will have more taken away.
Let me offer my interpretation. You are who you think you are. You do not become. You are. If you are a seeker you remain a seeker.
Another thinker put it this way, “We do not see the world as it is, we see the world as we are.” -The Talmud
…bla, bla, bla, you often are treated how you expect to be treated or get what you expect to receive.
Oh and I am not attempting to negate anything you are saying although I think a lot of Science is faith-based (i.e. the world is flat, the dinosaurs died from a meteor hitting the earth):)
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” -Einstein
Basically, action trumps everything. Even the hokey Law of Attraction teachers say “the Universe likes speed”. It basically boils down to what we believe about ourselves. If we don’t believe we’re capable of accomplishing anything great we won’t even try, but if we believe that we can do something great, unfathomable, even “impossible” we end up creating the electric motor (the horseless cart) or channeling electricity into a stable environment (light bulb).
I like to begin with impossibilities, average ambitions (anything that anyone else has already achieved or created to me knowledge) are just not worth spending time my time on. (That was another failed attempt at being concise.)
I can’t believe I read all that commentary…
OK my thoughts are that @Rick Walker shared the wrong verse, if we’re going by @Raam Dev’s definition of the Law of Attraction, which I believe to be the most accurate. He should have put up Matthew 13:12. It says that the person that has will be given more and the person that doesn’t have will have more taken away.
Let me offer my interpretation. You are who you think you are. You do not become. You are. If you are a seeker you remain a seeker.
Another thinker put it this way, “We do not see the world as it is, we see the world as we are.” -The Talmud
…bla, bla, bla, you often are treated how you expect to be treated or get what you expect to receive.
Oh and I am not attempting to negate anything you are saying although I think a lot of Science is faith-based (i.e. the world is flat, the dinosaurs died from a meteor hitting the earth):)
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” -Einstein
Basically, action trumps everything. Even the hokey Law of Attraction teachers say “the Universe likes speed”. It basically boils down to what we believe about ourselves. If we don’t believe we’re capable of accomplishing anything great we won’t even try, but if we believe that we can do something great, unfathomable, even “impossible” we end up creating the electric motor (the horseless cart) or channeling electricity into a stable environment (light bulb).
I like to begin with impossibilities, average ambitions (anything that anyone else has already achieved or created to me knowledge) are just not worth spending time my time on. (That was another failed attempt at being concise.)
I can’t believe I read all that commentary…
OK my thoughts are that @Rick Walker shared the wrong verse, if we’re going by @Raam Dev’s definition of the Law of Attraction, which I believe to be the most accurate. He should have put up Matthew 13:12. It says that the person that has will be given more and the person that doesn’t have will have more taken away.
Let me offer my interpretation. You are who you think you are. You do not become. You are. If you are a seeker you remain a seeker.
Another thinker put it this way, “We do not see the world as it is, we see the world as we are.” -The Talmud
…bla, bla, bla, you often are treated how you expect to be treated or get what you expect to receive.
Oh and I am not attempting to negate anything you are saying although I think a lot of Science is faith-based (i.e. the world is flat, the dinosaurs died from a meteor hitting the earth):)
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” -Einstein
Basically, action trumps everything. Even the hokey Law of Attraction teachers say “the Universe likes speed”. It basically boils down to what we believe about ourselves. If we don’t believe we’re capable of accomplishing anything great we won’t even try, but if we believe that we can do something great, unfathomable, even “impossible” we end up creating the electric motor (the horseless cart) or channeling electricity into a stable environment (light bulb).
I like to begin with impossibilities, average ambitions (anything that anyone else has already achieved or created to me knowledge) are just not worth spending time my time on. (That was another failed attempt at being concise.)
“The long and the short is that there is no evidence that quantum physics has anything to do with energy created by thoughts ”
This reply isn’t so much about LOA but about the correctness of this statement.
It is incorrect. Looking at the replies it’s also amazing how little is actually known about modern physics. It is NOT always a pragmatic, positivist theory, you don’t get to make assumptions about it based on the macroscopic world and be right.
There is an interpretation of the strange behavior of subatomic particles that INVOLVES consciousness as an integral part. Formed by Bhor and Heisenburg in the 20′s it’s called the Copenhagen Interpretation.
It is the leading interpretation right now but it is not the only interpretation. It does not PROVE LOA to be true but it lends credibility to the theory, especially if it turns out to the the actual way nature works.
But making an absolute statement that is 100% true about thought energy and QP is not possible at this time.
You are making a leap of faith exactly like LOA is and have become that which you are against
Somnus says: Great article !
Whenever I heard how Esther Hicks said that if you feel good everything comes into “Alignment” my mind only says “bullshit”. I had a time where I had a very conflicting opinion on this whole law of attraction since the whole quantum and ether explanations only made me doubt this whole Law of Attraction even more, but I could see in my life that those with a certain mental attitude could achieve what others couldn’t. I’ve studied NLP ,that in my opinion explains very well what this phenomenon is about, and you mentioned it yourself.
When we focus on something we feel confident we become more alert to the slightest opportunity to achieve the goal (that’s where the “signals” come from), we perform better and everything happens smoothly, and that doesn’t come from the law of attraction but from the self-confidence itself.
It’s a shame that this phenomenon is being mixed with New Age concepts, the reality is that what you focus on will happen because your mind won’t give up nor let little chances(that were there all the time) slip by, and everytime I see some new age explanation it kinda makes me cringe inside, it’s all psychology and the way it affects our actions,physical health and posture.
Still one thing I find incredible is how medicinal miracles happen thanks to beliefs, it’s not the law of attraction but the way the body heals itself out of the mentality it’s really amazing.
Somnus says: Great article !
Whenever I heard how Esther Hicks said that if you feel good everything comes into “Alignment” my mind only says “bullshit”. I had a time where I had a very conflicting opinion on this whole law of attraction since the whole quantum and ether explanations only made me doubt this whole Law of Attraction even more, but I could see in my life that those with a certain mental attitude could achieve what others couldn’t. I’ve studied NLP ,that in my opinion explains very well what this phenomenon is about, and you mentioned it yourself.
When we focus on something we feel confident we become more alert to the slightest opportunity to achieve the goal (that’s where the “signals” come from), we perform better and everything happens smoothly, and that doesn’t come from the law of attraction but from the self-confidence itself.
It’s a shame that this phenomenon is being mixed with New Age concepts, the reality is that what you focus on will happen because your mind won’t give up nor let little chances(that were there all the time) slip by, and everytime I see some new age explanation it kinda makes me cringe inside, it’s all psychology and the way it affects our actions,physical health and posture.
Still one thing I find incredible is how medicinal miracles happen thanks to beliefs, it’s not the law of attraction but the way the body heals itself out of the mentality it’s really amazing.
Somnus says: Great article !
Whenever I heard how Esther Hicks said that if you feel good everything comes into “Alignment” my mind only says “bullshit”. I had a time where I had a very conflicting opinion on this whole law of attraction since the whole quantum and ether explanations only made me doubt this whole Law of Attraction even more, but I could see in my life that those with a certain mental attitude could achieve what others couldn’t. I’ve studied NLP ,that in my opinion explains very well what this phenomenon is about, and you mentioned it yourself.
When we focus on something we feel confident we become more alert to the slightest opportunity to achieve the goal (that’s where the “signals” come from), we perform better and everything happens smoothly, and that doesn’t come from the law of attraction but from the self-confidence itself.
It’s a shame that this phenomenon is being mixed with New Age concepts, the reality is that what you focus on will happen because your mind won’t give up nor let little chances(that were there all the time) slip by, and everytime I see some new age explanation it kinda makes me cringe inside, it’s all psychology and the way it affects our actions,physical health and posture.
Still one thing I find incredible is how medicinal miracles happen thanks to beliefs, it’s not the law of attraction but the way the body heals itself out of the mentality it’s really amazing.
Tom Osborne - Visionary says: The law of a attraction is no more than a metaphor for hard work. You realise your target, and you subconsciously work towards it. The same way literally everyone tackles their woe’s.
Tom Osborne - Visionary says: The law of a attraction is no more than a metaphor for hard work. You realise your target, and you subconsciously work towards it. The same way literally everyone tackles their woe’s.
Tom Osborne - Visionary says: The law of a attraction is no more than a metaphor for hard work. You realise your target, and you subconsciously work towards it. The same way literally everyone tackles their woe’s.
Your first argument (the important one) is not an argument at all. “This is not true” – “Oh, well, I think it IS true.” :)
I agree with you, though, that The Secret doesn’t explain the LoA very well.
All of your questions concerning the LOA are explained in detail in “Ask And It Is Given” (Abraham-Hicks).
Your first argument (the important one) is not an argument at all. “This is not true” – “Oh, well, I think it IS true.” :)
I agree with you, though, that The Secret doesn’t explain the LoA very well.
All of your questions concerning the LOA are explained in detail in “Ask And It Is Given” (Abraham-Hicks).
Your first argument (the important one) is not an argument at all. “This is not true” – “Oh, well, I think it IS true.” :)
I agree with you, though, that The Secret doesn’t explain the LoA very well.
All of your questions concerning the LOA are explained in detail in “Ask And It Is Given” (Abraham-Hicks).
carlon says: I agree that the LOA is bullshit. Even among the LOA masses, no one can seem to even agree on what it is or how it works. On my blog, I wrote a satire on people using the LOA to clean up the BP oil spill by ignoring it and pretending it didn't happen.
I got a lot of feedback from people thinking the story was real. One recent piece I wrote was about a LOA coach getting banned from the Lottery. Frankly, if this stuff worked, we'd see it.
http://dontstepinthepoop.com/law-of-attraction-…
Orkney111 says: Thanks for your insight, albeit poorly written. (even spelling errors?)
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NoGrammer69 says:
I recommend you take the new college course “How to thank someone and criticize them at the same time 101.”
Analysys:
You used a half of sentence to thank.
You used a half of sentence to critic.
Albiet you even used improper grammer to ask a question. e.g (Why the parenthesis to ask a question?)
Be Constructive!
[...] The Law of Attraction is bullshit, but being positive actually does [...]
[...] The Law of Attraction is bullshit, but being positive actually does [...]
Es says: you attrac what you are inside – so go and have a look there to find your convictions and old believes….such as this does not work….
Lot says: Who cares? The fact is alot of people are making plans to better their lives and feeling generally happier. I also scond the notion that the physics aspect is offensive, however, I think the positive brainwashing aspect of the dvd is useful. I was given it by my new age stepfather, and it helped me get the confidence to realise what I wanted and to write a business plan. And the thing is, it is human nature to try and achieve, but it's also part of what the whole thing is saying: you plan what you want – look for it – think about it all the time – and you'll probably find it. How do you think people achieve anything? Through planning and enthusiasm.
Bgfar says: There's a lot us humans do not understand. I have witnessed the law of attraction. This came about during a time when I was in a very excited state. I was excited about visiting my family. It was a miracle what happened.
tasha says: I was into the law of attraction for 4 years…Worse 4 years of my life.LOA teaches people to be afraid of their thoughs and feelings,and worse it makes people try to control them,which will only leave someone frustrated and down.GUARANTEED.
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Himanshuchauhan061192 says:
you are absolutely right
Quazi__00_7 says: I was fucking misserable for 3 years trying this shit, really fucked up alot of things in my life believing it. I urge people not to be drwn in by the false promises. If you want something work for it, if you wonna do something do it, sitting on your ass hoping shit will go right doesnt work. these rich manipulative fucks need to feel whats its like to be on the other side of the spectrum and see if their lie of a law fucking works.
If it sounds like i’m pissed its because i am! I chose to follow the shit but it angers me looking form the outside in now how they prey on peoples emotions hopes and feelings, and stripping them of these whilst getting rich off them.
I had to reach rock bottom to realise what crap it really was, please learn from me, this is bullcrap(to quote cartman, hehe)
Life is pure bliss without this!!!
You are dead right! I have never been so happy to come across a piece of literature. As a born skeptic/cynic/pessimist, the guidelines of “the secret” actually bog me down rather than bring me up. And might I add, my negative energy has achieved me a number of things!
Swalter27 says: I saw a hooptie old Ford Tempo that was completely covered in surface rust driving down the interstate with a bumper sticker that said “Caution: Law of Attraction is in effect”
I almost crashed my own vehicle I was laughing so hard, LOA is a joke.
InfiniteIntelligenceisGOD says: People can not explain alot of things, such as our creation, aliens, god, the universe. We can speculate but we dont have the evidence on any of this. Religon is just a book of stories, with no physical evidence. Just like the law of attraction. It is something that works for the believers and does not work for the non believers, just like anything else. Everyone is entitled to their own opinon, but at least the Law of Attraction is creating a more positive world, in a much easier way. Don’t debunk something you can not explain yourself. There are so many things we dont understand as a human race, it would be crazy to say this is right and this is wrong, just because you do not fully understand what this world is.
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Skeptik says:
Just as we can definitively say that combining hydrogen and oxygen doesn’t make piss, we can absolutely say that wishing for something doesn’t make it happen.
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Klhulon9176 says:
faith is powerful. for someone like you it is almost impossible to enter the gates of heaven. Which people like you think its intelligent and elitist to trick themselves into thinking those gates don’t exist either. Like my mother says: If you don’t believe in God or Heaven, you best start believing in hell
Hrbradford says: Like any principle or equation there will be positive and negative aspects. Things to dispute and things to agree with.
What hits me about this particular article and others like it is that it criticizes the Law of Attraction as being anecdotal, unreferenced, and without scientific backing, but then then the rebuttal is…anecdotal, unreferenced, and without scientific backing. So we are all on a forum taking each others word for it.
There is also nothing substantial to say that going after something and putting a lot of stress and work into it will manifest it into reality as well. In fact, it seems that stress related illness and heart disease being on the rise would be adequate evidence to disprove the rebuttal. Would you rather be at home living off the government and smiling or deteriorating your heart and mind by working too hard?
Psychology, which over 100 years ago was not a science, is now shown to be a means of improving well-being, but is based upon principles that are ancient. Einstein’s theory of relativity (which still isn’t law, which is one thing I really don’t like about it..it needs to lose the title) is proving that matter, time and space, are not at all what we thought they were. There are invisible forces at work that science is just beginning to understand. In the meantime, see the Law of Attraction as a social science study on positive thinking and hope someone will do a study on it’s validity. Until then, if it works, go with it, if it doesn’t, do something else. But lets try not to generalize principles and resolve to dismissing things just because it doesn’t appeal to us. But I don’t think scam, is a fair…I honestly think that the people who believe in the Law of Attractions intentions are good. No one’s trying to hurt anyone else.
Brian says: You went a bit overboard here and denounced a system without understanding what inferences it’s making. The law of attraction is a psychological system, NOT a physical system. Yeah, the whole quantum physics part is total and complete crap, but books like Think and Grow Rich do not say that the systems do not require action. They simply push the “thought proceeds action” idea. So, IE – Get your thoughts in the correct direction. That’s it. That’s all.
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Bill says:
Actually, it’s a psychological system that transcends to a paranormal system when it claims that your thoughts attract something or circumstances to you from outside of yourself. If a desired effect requires action, LOA sure has no problem claiming that an undesired effect requires just a thought with no action. A bit lopsided?
Law of attraction is really no “secret.” I think it’s a valid process for us to achieve what we want. However, it’s not everything. I remember a few years ago this actor was hovering over me in a bar and was talking about how “The Secret” changed his life and now he can get anything he desires. He was so creepy and wouldn’t stop bothering me. Quite frankly, I think people misinterpret what it means and take it too far. It’s really a simple philosophy: Think about what you want, keep visualizing it and believe you will achieve it. Simple.
Wrensandroses says: positivity is over rated. Almost everything I’ve accomplished that I am proud of was motivated by mild irritation or dissatisfaction with my life as it was.
Anonymous says: Hey thanks for putting it out there like that. So true. I fell into this movement a couple years back and before getting into deep I realized it was a bunch of sh**. Come on it doesn’t even make sense on a logical level. How in the hell can we receive things from just thinking about it. I also wrote a post about this a week ago. So funny to stumble across yours (You did a much better job by the way). You can check out my post here if you like http://www.lifesgreatescape.ne…/
[...] The Law of Attraction is Bullshit [...]
Haha, yes, if it would be true, everyone would be everyone and have everything, i believe that the law of attraction is just an another tool that our already designed life uses to achieve the curves.
What I find most ridiculous about LOA in general, and The Secret, specifically, is that they package the information as a “program” to help you achieve life goals and possessions. Where they really get their kicks is that they can deny responsibility if it doesn’t work. Their excuse is that you just didn’t want it enough, so therefore, it can’t be yours. Scam artists, albeit, rich scam artists.
They must have done some great visualization of duping a large population!
My best friend was talking to me about the Law of Attraction. Thanks for the points I’ll definitely be taking them to heart! Thanks Colin
miniMOMist says: What always bothered me about the Secret is how the author, Rhonda Byrne, goes on and on, in any interview or review, and even in the first pages of the book about how “all I wanted to do is share this knowledge with the world!”
Now, there are LOTS of ways to share your knowledge with the world. Build a webpage, create a newsletter, host a show, etc. All. For. Free.
So why is it, after declaring so vehemently that all she wanted to do was share this with the world, did she do so with a $30 book, or a $30 movie? No book the size of a coaster should cost $30. Bibles are free, and there’s a lot more to go on in that.
That was enough proof for me to detect a scam.
Slugzkea says: The only thing i can agree about the LOA is the power of positive thinking. But it stops there. If you want something in life, you work for it. Simple.
I mean, if you channel negative energy, sure, that’s not gonna help your day. But asking the “universe” for your dream house or porche or celebrity-to-be-bride, you have a better chance in believing the return of Jesus Christ.
“The Secret” is full of shit, and only the primitive and gullible would even dare try believing in it. What a bunch of silly nonsense.
Colin, You hit it right on the head with this article. I have been exploring my own reasoning which is “the moment is now”, meaning the only thing that matters is what’s happening right now. Not the past, not the future.
Being open to ask the universe what we want, or surrounding us with like people, is in a way brainwashing ourselves into thinking what we want to believe, and it’s that’s what someone needs to accomplish something… good for them. But the only thing that matters is the moment of now, and we control it. We make things happen, We change things… that is the magic that we have.
Jeff in New York City
otherwise know as
http://www.usheronbroadway.com
well. interesting viewpoint indeed.
what i find funny is the contradictory nature of this post. how you say the law of attraction isn’t real, but in the same post you say it is.
you say the books written on the subject present a hoax, but that focusing on your desires WILL bring you closer to them.
the thing is, these books present the same argument you do (you just have to actually read them to find that out). they claim that by focusing on your desires, your subconscious mind will take root in them and force your conscious mind to find a way to obtain them.
that is the premise of think and grow rich ( a fact anyone who has actually read the book would be aware of).
the secret does focus on a different part, but i don’t believe it is as hokey as you claim.
quantum mechanics (not physics) is a concept that believes that the universe is essentially molded by man’s mind. the idea is that our thoughts actually do have a physical impact on the universe at a molecular level. this was illustrated by the works of Masaro Emoto with his water molecule experiment.
now, a large portion of the scientific community does dispute his findings. sure, perhaps it isn’t likely that we can shape water molecules to look like specifically esthetically pleasing shapes with certain TYPES of thoughts…but, we cannot ignore the fact that the molecular structure DID CHANGE after human thought was focused on it.
so, some in quantum mechanics believe that the universe cannot exist without the mind being a part of it. i am definitely not that radical, but i do believe that our thoughts can have a physical impact. even if in no other way than creating a neuro-peptide, the fact that a physical change occurs when focused thought is applied says a lot.
then we move into the butterfly effect. if you believe that change on a microscopic level can lead to a domino effect of change on the macroscopic level….you have the premise of the secret.
really not that far off from a scientific premise, and certainly not a hoax.
just a thought.
Hundipped90 says: I know that the power of attraction works. My mother always told me that what you put out into the universe, you get back. Not that just because my mother said it, its true, but think about it- the law of attraction isn’t stating that you throw your wishes out into the wishing well of the atmosphere its saying that you figure out exactly what you want and BELIEVE wholly that you can have it. I don’t know anything about quantum physics, but I know alot about something called “game”. I know plenty of guys that are unattractive, do not have money, and still somehow have handfuls of willing females. Mostly, its an air of confidence, a mojo that no one knows what to call. They simply know that what they want can come true and because they are sure of themselves and decisive enough to decide what they want, they get it.
I think that if it’s taken too literally it can be really dangerous. It could potentially turn people into couch potatoes who think they have a cause. But on the flip side, visualization I think has its benefits. Believing in something and constantly striving for a goal does inch you closer, I think. If you’re in a certain mindset, you begin to see things through a different lens, and catch opportunities that you might not have seen before. I’ve never seen
The Secret
but as inspiring as it might be, I would never advise anyone to sit down and believe that things happen.
I think that if it’s taken too literally it can be really dangerous. It could potentially turn people into couch potatoes who think they have a cause. But on the flip side, visualization I think has its benefits. Believing in something and constantly striving for a goal does inch you closer, I think. If you’re in a certain mindset, you begin to see things through a different lens, and catch opportunities that you might not have seen before. I’ve never seen
The Secret
but as inspiring as it might be, I would never advise anyone to sit down and believe that things happen.
randy says: i never did this stuff but i know from experience that any time i’ve wanted something i went out and did something about it- with no success whatsoever. i failed each and every time and YES, i tried different ways of achieving it. and NO, the knowledge that ‘at least i tried’ is no consolation. but nevertheless i never was tempted by this ‘secret’ bullshit. i just gave up. and NO, things don’t come to you when give up.
Frank Lee I.T. Works says: All I know is that it has been working for me. It’s not about being lazy and sitting on your ass. It’s not about positive thinking either. All I know is that every time I think of something and follow the other 10 Laws of the Universe (LOA is only one out of 11 Laws) I get it. I get this stuff without hurting myself financially, without putting my family at risk. Just recently, I got a BMW with all the options and features I’ve ever wanted in it – I’ve been wanting one for like 20 years but always figured it was for other people – not me. Then after reading up on LOA and the other laws I tried an experiment which within only 2 weeks got me a 335xi, black interior/exterior with a navigation system. And this is only one thing. I’ve been getting money, plasma televisions, exciting projects at work. And I can tell you, I’m not sitting on my ass, I’ve always been a hard worker. It’s just that things seem to come easier to me these days. Say what you will but it seems to work for me.
Nick. says: Thank you. Best article I’ve seen on this bullshit so far.
Tdyhdy says: Pf, You got it wrong, You change inside, so does your reality.
If the thought of getting a job never came to your head, would you ever get one? NO! So you do actually have to “think” about what your want. You have over 60,000 thoughts a day they can be changed. The LOA makes you money conscious. Your pretty much learning how to hypnotize yourself.  Â
AndrewsBase says: It is all about the power of thought….
The problem is that most of people has no power and has no thought
Read Castaneda books for good thoughts on magiÑ:)
It's Time Hypnosis says: You are totally right and I applaud you for saying so….focusing on goals, taking steps to make them happen and believing they are possible will bring you closer to the goal….encouraging people in bad situations to think good thoughts is apathy and it makes people good, gullible consumers and it’s dangerous.
Christo288 says: i think the article is correct considering the fact that people naturally want things and try to get them. These people just named it “the law of attraction” and it immediately becomes a product. It is human nature to desire and to try get, all they saying is dont stop trying.
Not Fooled in NC says: My main concern is not the positive aspects. Go ahead and believe if you visualize it, it comes true. Fool yourself into thinking plans aren’t important (although they end up making plans, hence the anecdotal evidence saying it’s true).
My concern is the negative part of it: If you have cancer, many of them say it’s your fault. According to this mumbo jumbo, you caused yourself to get cancer because of some negative thought at some point in your life. Don’t think I’m making this up, though. I have a friend who believes this, and he and his Law of Attraction buddies all tell me that it’s true. If you have any disease, it’s your own fault.
Don’t be taken in, people. It’s another blame game scam.
I agree 100%.
The only thing the “law of attraction” has accomplished, is to get my nagging wife off my ass.
Which I can’t say is a bad thing and I’ve certainly desired it a long time Hmmmm. ‘Nah never mind.’
glafaurie20 says: The only thing I know is that the LoA is responsible for most of the troubles in my 5-year relationship. It has became in a sort of religious for my boyfriend. I feel that most of the time I’m talking to a sombie who is totally absorbed by dvds, audiobooks and posts on the wall about LoA. The fanny thing is, that over the years, he hasn’t obtained what he wants. The few goals he has reached, I personally think that a focused person could obtain them without putting all your time, energy and concentration on those books.
If that law really can change people’s minds in order for them to achieve what they want, why don’t they share that knowledge in Africa among people with real problems? why don’t the creators of those books try to find the way to share the law for free? Is it all about making money out of people’s dreams?
glafaurie20 says: The only thing I know is that the LoA is responsible for most of the troubles in my 5-year relationship. It has became in a sort of religious for my boyfriend. I feel that most of the time I’m talking to a sombie who is totally absorbed by dvds, audiobooks and posts on the wall about LoA. The funny thing is, that over the years, he hasn’t obtained what he wants. The few goals he has reached, I personally think that a focused person could obtain them without putting all your time, energy and concentration on those books.
If that law really can change people’s minds in order for them to achieve what they want, why don’t they share that knowledge in Africa among people with real problems? why don’t the creators of those books try to find the way to share the law for free? Is it all about making money out of people’s dreams?
Jasmine1955 says: Since the dawn of times people have been manipulated by unscrupulous con
artists, appealing to basic human needs – money,love,emotions. Like the
Greatest Trio-religion,politics, television, the LOA is not any law, but a clever
manipulation.It is common sense, that when you focus on something, work
hard for it, want it badly enough, you are increasing highly the odds of achieving
it, but the results are not guaranteed, unless it has been God’s plan.
Just do your best and leave it in God’s hands!
greatgarrett2 says: Some time ago, I inquired with my local psychic on this matter. She said something like, ‘Your heart chakra’s completely closed off’.
I noticed some people around me getting what they want and become successful in their area of life while it simply just doesn’t work for me. I’ve tried and failed at numerous job interviews and internet businesses, obtaining nothing above min wage. Why is this? I ‘feel’ passion about the pursuit I’m embarking on yet it still doesn’t happen. People say, ‘Oh, you have to try harder, your not FEELING it enough, think positive…etc.’ Yet, I’ve tried to think positive and it still doesn’t happen. Why is that?
I believe people can and do create their own realities….but here’s the rub: One has to have a basis already IN reality to create it upon. If one’s a good auto mechanic and has the capital to invest in a shop and is well-known for his work in the community, then there’s a good chance he’ll succeed…within reason. Having said that, I know I’m a young, smart and ambitious man with computers and my writing yet I still have yet to obtain steady pay from working online. It hasn’t happened yet. Perhaps because I don’t have the social supports in place or no one knows about me, not too many people anyway. Maybe that’s my problem, I’m not a very outgoing person.
I believe one can create success but it has to be reality based. One can’t just visualize ‘me – $100,000′ and presto, voila! No. One has to have a realistic way of achieving that goal and in this shitty economy it’s very hard to be self-made.
thomas says: hello, i would just like to put this video out for all the skeptics to see…
and like some people have said one this blog already, it doesn’t work with sitting on your empty fat ass on your couch in front of the tv, but it’s only about the way you feel and the way you think about yourself, and that’s why you can achieve greater things you’ve ever believed you could achieve just by believing it, therefore going for it on full throttle… just my 2 cents :)
oh and here’s the video…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzYC_hiIP6o&feature=related
to mister true indigo, think your 1,000,000 USD is gonna slip outta your fingers right into this dude’s palm, right?
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JTDabbagian says:
And just like the “Secret,” all you provide is strictly anecdotal evidence from someone. All I can ascertain from this is that he managed to get $10,000 (And I’m not even sure of that!) There’s a myriad of other factors that play into this: Luck, desire, motivation, etc. Occam’s Razor would say he put his mind to something and he got it. And he was lucky too. Lot of people put their minds to things and get nothing. Nothing spiritual or mysterious about it.
Alrighte33 says: It’s a SCAM, SCAM< SCAM!! I will go as far as to say it's a cult. Law of Attraction tries to wipe out human emotion; we have negative feelings for a reason. We would not survive if we did not follow our "bad" thoughts or feelings. We would not have art or progression without pain and the negative thoughts that LOA blames for our unhappiness. This is a scam people, stay away,…trust me. I was once heavy into it, even went to an Abraham Hicks seminar with a friend and spent $200 on the tickets to see this egomaniac speak in person about LOA. Ester Hicks and her husband Jerry are true scam artists. They use the good ole' "blame the victim" tactic, because if you don't get what you want it's YOUR fault; apparently you did not think enough good thoughts. So…if your family gets murdered by a drunk driver, apparently you are doing something wrong and were not thinking enough good thoughts. LOA falls into cult thinking and it blurs your perception on reality.
Alrighte33 says: Another thing…Law of Attraction is the perfect tool to brainwash people. It gets people to ignore the news and become passive, happy saps. Law of Attraction tells you that you don’t need to stick up for yourself or fight for something wrong because your thoughts will do all the work. LOA is the perfect way to get a mass of people brainwashed. It actually upsets me that people get away with this crap and that other people buy into it.
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@Alrighte33 Amen brother, Amen. The “Law” of Attraction is one of the worst things to ever possibly happen. Were it to gain control, anyone “Negative” would be executed, and the world plunged into another dark age, or rather a “Manifesting age.”
Disneynut71182 says: Please this law of attraction BS is exactly that….B…S…..THINGS happen for a REASON. They dont happen by accident. They dont happen because you had happy thoughts. They happened because it was MEANT to happen. Good things happen, and overall shit happens. You either have luck or no luck. You either have a good day or a bad day. If this LOA REALLY worked, my business would be sky rocketing, instead its turning into a complete waste of my time, and people all over the world would be “asking the universe for things and getting whatever their hearts desired.” We arent 5 years old people. We do not live in a fantasy world where if we believe in things it will come to us. I’m going to steal a line from Bruce Almighty, A single mom who’s working two jobs, and still finds time to take her son to soccer practice, that’s a miracle. A teenager who says “no” to drugs and “yes” to an education, that’s a miracle. People want me to do everything for them. What they don’t realize is *they* have the power. You want to see a miracle, son? Be the miracle.
So in other words, you want stuff? YOU have to the HOW you get it. The universe isnt going to hand it to you on a silver platter. You want things? You want a miracle….BE your own MIRACLE. BE your own UNIVERSE.
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