Sincerity, Skepticism and The Secret Movie

Rose asks:

Andy I really don’t know about you! I’m 45 yrs old and not hardly ever a skeptic of almost anything or anyone, but you however I’m skeptic about. Why because James Ray is the producer of the movie about the Secret and it seems more to me that your simply making prophets off of his patton and raw work.??? Talk straight to me if you even attempt to e-mail me in the near future. OK? I AM AN OLD, OLD SOUL, so don’t bother to comunnicate with me unless you truely search your own heart and soul and deside to be straight with me. P.S. As an old soul, I’m willing to alway’s stand corrected if I am in thye wrong, or have jumped to a wrong conclusion. Nespa???

I took about 3.2 seconds to search my heart and soul and decided to blog this. You’re not a very old soul for being only 45. Unless we’re including past lives.
I don’t have a ton of time to write things that I don’t believe in. To assume that because I disagree with you that I’m lying is a bit short-sighted.
I actually have yet to profit from my examination of The Secret movie, the 30-day challenge I did or any investigation into the roots of The Law of Attraction as a late 19th-century Christian movement that has been packaged in an Orientalist motif to middle-class Westerners.
Do I think the sentiments in the movie promote narcissism and materialism? Yes.
Do I think people use The Law of Attraction as a way to ennoble their own laziness? Yes. Might they use it for positive change? Of course.
Do I think the movie and book and associated content were extremely well-produced, executed and a great case study in marketing wellness/self-help? Yes.
Do I think the movie is inconsistent and contradicts itself in several places? Yes.
Do I doubt the power of the human mind to heal the body and spirit? Not at all.
Do I think the ‘law of attraction’ works? Not in the sense the movie portrays. I think to say that it works every time, anywhere for anyone is essentially the ‘sometimes God says no’ of Christianity. It doesn’t work all the time. So it isn’t a law. Yes, expand your mind and spirit at the possibilities around us but maybe we’re not all meant to feel fulfilled in all ways all the time.
Hugs,
Andy


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4 responses to “Sincerity, Skepticism and The Secret Movie”

  1. Graham Avatar

    Well said. I wish LOA folks would attract a good spell-checker. 😉

  2. Curtis Avatar

    Andy,
    I have a comment about your last line:
    “maybe we’re not all meant to feel fulfilled in all ways all the time”
    I don’t know if we are “meant to” or “not meant to” anything. Who would do the “meaning?”
    If I don’t believe in God, clearly there is no-one to decide what is meant for me or not other than me. I like feeling good, no matter what the results. It seems to me that the greatest achievement in life is to live a life of joy. But that is just my opinion.
    If I do believe in God, I choose to believe in an omnipotent, loving God. In such a case, why would God mean for me to do or not do anything? It seems to me that if God has any intentions for my life it is that I live my life as I see fit. And so, if what God wants for me is what I want for me, then I choose to feel good.
    Either way, whether I believe in God or not, I see the value in the message of The Secret. Whether it works to produce material changes all the time or not seems to me to be irrelevant. Why would I want a material thing in the first place?… to feel good.
    Another reason I like the message in the movie The Secret is because I think there has been an emphasis on mindless doing in our culture creating a lot of “do-do” in people’s lives and not much satisfaction.
    The problem I see with the movie is that for the novice to the messages of the Law of Attraction, it seems on the surface to be advocating doing nothing, or laziness. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is impossible to do nothing. We are always doing something, even if that something is sitting on the couch and making a dent in the cushions! I think the only way to achieve anything truly great is to begin with the inspiration, the feelings, the vibes, whatever you want to call it, and then to ACT on that.
    In other words, life is about choosing what you want to feel, then acting on those feelings to produce your results. It is not as some people are misinterpreting it to be “just feel good and think positive thoughts and it will magically arrive.” It is not “massive action” without massive passion.
    Thanks for providing this space for me to share my thoughts with you. Keep up the outstanding work Andy!
    Curtis

  3. Shama Hyder Avatar

    Andy,
    As someone who used to be an LOA coach, I have to say you are spot on. Are our thoughts powerful enough to ignite change?-Yes. Is this a magic cure all-no way.

  4. Joshua Avatar
    Joshua

    Just to clarify, James Ray isn’t the producer of The Secret. Although he is a contributor, it was produced by Rhonda Byrne and Prime Time Productions.
    Enjoy!

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