Has anyone read "The Secret"?

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Seeing how everyone on this board can use some self help, I posted this in the main forum.

I heard from one person that it is helpful to read.

Heard from someone who's studying it as part of a larger look at various culture.s... that basically it's one of those things that encourages privileged people to imagine that various things they get because f that privilege, are actually things they get for having sufficient virtue. Meanwhile, people who are not as lucky, are encouraged to believe that if they thought differently, then they would get all the advantages of the more privileged people.

The person I know who's writing about this, said it's actually probably very heavily influenced by the caste system in India, and the things parts of their religion came up with to justify it. (Similar things have happened worldwide with all religions having at least some branch of them that comes up with upside-down set of values that upholds the status quo..)

The Secret is a load of bollocks, ->---------->-------->-------> negative thoughts at who ever brings this load of garbage up again!

I've seen the movie. It's about positive thoughts and expectations. Another one (Part II) is apparently coming out teaching you how to ACT to make the universe respond to your desires.

On the one hand I think its just a break down of "be positive and work hard", no real Secret there, but I think it can be dangerous if a malignant narcissist graps hold of this "manifesting" tool...

But I read the original version when I was a kid: "The Power of Positive Thinking" by Norman Vincent Peale. Or "Self-Mastery Through Conscious Autosuggestion " by Émile Coué...

It's a REALLY old idea, and no "Secret" at all. It's also BS.

I have that book called The Secret; its happy and positive; an enabling kind of book - whether people can make it work or not is the question in my own head.

I think there was a thread about it some time ago here, I think I started it when I mentioned how The Secret had become my friend's obsession and how weird she was acting due to it.

Premium blend, high-quality refined BS. That's 'The Secret' for me.

http://eng.ohmynews.com/articleview/art ... 2&rel_no=1

Sounds like The Power of Now and various other New Age BS. Some people must be really desperate to need such nonsense to feel good about themselves.

Thoughts alone cannot change anything, they need to cause actions so any change can occur. Encouraging people to subserviently "wait" for something good to happen is irresponsible and potentially harmful to large groups of people whether aspies, the disabled, the mentally ill or the terminally ill.

I haven't read the book in question but it sounds like BS.

The ebonmuse has reviewed it: http://www.daylightatheism.org/2007/04/the-secret.html

Like anything, it is neither wholly good or wholly bad. Yes, it is BS to believe that if you want something bad enough and think about it hard enough, that thing will just appear on your doorstep. But The Secret also encourages you to have a positive attitude, and I know a lot of people who could use an attitude adjustment.

I am all for positive attitude's, I just think the movie confuses greed with a positive thought, the movie is more of a cheesy infomercial made by real estate agents, who are selling swamp land in Florida. There is no such thing as gaining wealth by wishful thoughts, but if people want to believe in The Secret, they will have to learn the hard way, because there is no magical way to attain wealth, unless you win the lottery, but thats just the luck of the draw like everyone else has to take.
If you want to know what The Secret is, PT Barnum is often misquoted with, "There's a sucker born every minute".

I've read it...I found it interesting.

I prefer "I stole your Cheese!"

I read the book and I, for one, think it is a positive way to lead your life. I myself totally got into it, because it kind of gives me the feeling that the entire universe is at my command. You get out of it what you put into it. Thanks to The Secret, I feel a lot better about myself.