Hi all,
This is in response to the post from Cashie in regards to the article "The Secret".
I want to make it very clear that this is NOT in response to Cashie. She was quite clearly and honestly putting forward a different point of view. I respect that totally, and thank her for bringing this article forward.
Please note that she has requested that people do not respond to her directly in regards to the post.
For those who are unaware of "The Secret", it is a documentary that features "Self-help" gurus, visionaries, and scientists (in whatever field), that states that we are all responsible for our own circumstances, and that we can change our world by paying attention to our thoughts and directing them appropriately to create the circumstances that we desire. It also states that we are all equal and we can all access this power, as it is our own personal power.
This is my response to that article.
"The Secret" unabashedly appropriates and mishmashes familiar self-help clich?s":
My English teacher used to tell me that cliches become cliches because they're true. It is the same here. The Secret postulates that this knowledge has been available to us through the centuries. It is true that the Secret is nothing new. But it's also true that in this day and age, it's more important than ever that we start to realise the impact of our thoughts upon our lives.
The main idea of "The Secret" is that people need only visualize what they want in order to get it -- and the book certainly has created instant wealth, at least for Rhonda Byrne and her partners-in-con.
Why shouldn't the author make money in passing on this wisdom? Look at the plethora of self-help books out there. This is a simply another kind. I happen to think it's different to most - but that's my choice. Nobody forced me to buy this book. To be honest, it told me nothing new. It just told me what I already knew in a different way. But that's fine. The fact that I needed more guidance just shows that I needed the information from a different source. Who cares?
Oprah Winfrey... lends the whole enterprise more prestige, and, because of that prestige, more venality, than any previous self-help scam
I'm not going to like these ideas any less because Oprah's involved. I used to be a snob, and reject "mass opinions", I used to pride myself in not succumbing to "best-sellers". Is an idea worth less because a celebrity endorses it? No. We all have to make up our own minds. That's the whole point.
In closing, I made up my mind about The Secret, just as the author of this article did. If I sound emotional, it's because I am. I can't see the harm in a book that teaches you to feel good about yourself and good about the world. If you really look for it, you can see these teachings everywhere. Again, The Secret is nothing new - it's about paying attention to your own thoughts. To me, that is nothing new.
It's responsible living, whatever you believe. And it doesn't cost a cent. No-one needs to buy the book or buy the DVD - it's everywhere.
In fact, most of us - just by coming to MYO - are living exactly the same principles.
As a PS - I'm willing to help anyone change their beliefs if they require it. It's a way of thinking. It's a work in progress.
Gem x
and PPS
The author wishes to assert that she made NO money from Oprah or the author of the Secret by posting this message!!!!
This is in response to the post from Cashie in regards to the article "The Secret".
I want to make it very clear that this is NOT in response to Cashie. She was quite clearly and honestly putting forward a different point of view. I respect that totally, and thank her for bringing this article forward.
Please note that she has requested that people do not respond to her directly in regards to the post.
For those who are unaware of "The Secret", it is a documentary that features "Self-help" gurus, visionaries, and scientists (in whatever field), that states that we are all responsible for our own circumstances, and that we can change our world by paying attention to our thoughts and directing them appropriately to create the circumstances that we desire. It also states that we are all equal and we can all access this power, as it is our own personal power.
This is my response to that article.
"The Secret" unabashedly appropriates and mishmashes familiar self-help clich?s":
My English teacher used to tell me that cliches become cliches because they're true. It is the same here. The Secret postulates that this knowledge has been available to us through the centuries. It is true that the Secret is nothing new. But it's also true that in this day and age, it's more important than ever that we start to realise the impact of our thoughts upon our lives.
The main idea of "The Secret" is that people need only visualize what they want in order to get it -- and the book certainly has created instant wealth, at least for Rhonda Byrne and her partners-in-con.
Why shouldn't the author make money in passing on this wisdom? Look at the plethora of self-help books out there. This is a simply another kind. I happen to think it's different to most - but that's my choice. Nobody forced me to buy this book. To be honest, it told me nothing new. It just told me what I already knew in a different way. But that's fine. The fact that I needed more guidance just shows that I needed the information from a different source. Who cares?
Oprah Winfrey... lends the whole enterprise more prestige, and, because of that prestige, more venality, than any previous self-help scam
I'm not going to like these ideas any less because Oprah's involved. I used to be a snob, and reject "mass opinions", I used to pride myself in not succumbing to "best-sellers". Is an idea worth less because a celebrity endorses it? No. We all have to make up our own minds. That's the whole point.
In closing, I made up my mind about The Secret, just as the author of this article did. If I sound emotional, it's because I am. I can't see the harm in a book that teaches you to feel good about yourself and good about the world. If you really look for it, you can see these teachings everywhere. Again, The Secret is nothing new - it's about paying attention to your own thoughts. To me, that is nothing new.
It's responsible living, whatever you believe. And it doesn't cost a cent. No-one needs to buy the book or buy the DVD - it's everywhere.
In fact, most of us - just by coming to MYO - are living exactly the same principles.
As a PS - I'm willing to help anyone change their beliefs if they require it. It's a way of thinking. It's a work in progress.
Gem x
and PPS
The author wishes to assert that she made NO money from Oprah or the author of the Secret by posting this message!!!!
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