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Pssst... I got The Secret
Contributed by: Anthonette Klinkerman on 5/18/2007

The Secret is out. Okay, I couldn't resist the pun; it's too close to the end of the school year.

I'm in the midst of viewing The Secret for the second time. It's a bit too materialistic for my tastes, and with the quick-cut filming so popular today it's no wonder we all have ADD. Still, I'm a firm believer in the power of positive thinking, which is the basic notion behind The Secret.

We are matter, and matter emits certain frequencies, or "vibes" for those of you in Boulder. If the vibes or thoughts that go out are positive, according to the universal Law of Attraction, all one can attract back are positive things. Negative, pessimistic thoughts go out, negativity comes back.

Now, I'm having a little trouble with this concept as why would one attract a car accident, or a severe illness? My high school principal, who now lives in Denver, has brain cancer, so how could he have possibly attracted that to himself?

My friend's father is also ill with cancer, so I am having trouble accepting that people would draw such a horrid disease into their lives. Yet, The Secret says this is true. This may take a third viewing to understand where disease fits in with the Law of Attraction, as this aspect still isn't making sense to me.

The part that does make sense is the power of positive thinking. I've tried using positive thinking on some really big things and some pretty small things. It does work. It is hard to remember this when we "wake up on the wrong side of the bed" in the morning, and at 5:00 that is incredibly easy to do.

The Secret video states we let ourselves spiral downward if our morning starts with a stubbed toe or spilled coffee. The very act of complaining about it draws more negativity into our worlds.

As I graded papers from my seventh grade classes, I became slightly alarmed at the amount of negative words I encountered. The assignment asked students to write a recipe for themselves, meaning what characteristics were their "ingredients" and how they were then "prepared".

It was to demonstrate how well they could write a process paragraph. I kept coming across the words "anger", "stupidity", "laziness", even "evil" in the ingredients lists. I was taken aback; why in the world would these kids think these things about themselves?

Were they using words they heard from their peers, or trying to be cool in their self-depreciation? Why is that considered cool anyway?

Self esteem movements abound, but recent studies have proven they are backfiring in a big way. Instead of confident and self-reliant young people, these programs have created a nation of narcissists that can't stick with anything when they don't get the automatic praises they feel they are owed.

The Post reported college students these days, according to their professors, give up too easily. Perhaps it's time to go back to the simple power of positive thinking. "What you think about, you bring about."

I'm reminded of Stewart Smalley in the old Saturday Night Live sketches, sitting in front of the mirror and reciting "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!" There's some truth here - positve self-talk is proven to elevate a person's self-perception. What kind of self-talk is running through some students' heads?

Not watching the news in the morning has had tremendous effects on the tone of my day. I'm reading The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, and I was particularly taken by the illustrations of tiny changes making a huge difference. No bad news in the morning equals my day being that much more positive. For this reason, I skip the front pages of the paper and go straight to the "fun" sections.

Gladwell cites the decrease in crime in New York City "tipped off" by the simple act of cleaning the environment. Specifically, removal of graffiti on the subway cars leading to an overall decrease in crime on the trains.

The theory is that if people live in chaos, they will act accordingly. If they live in an orderly environment, their behaviors will reflect structure.

This goes against the top-down concept of management, instead offering a bottom-up solution. A seemingly small, but overwhelmingly positive change by one or two people "tipped" the universe to respond back with more positive energy. (Ahem... did you put away your shopping cart?)

The Secret is simple. Employing it is what's hard, at first. But it gives one pause to think, and to think positively at that.

Grade: A



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Showing 1-3 of 3 comments
Submitted By: Anthonette Klinkerman
posted on 5/21/2007 @ 2:53:09 PM
(Not Rated)
I agree with you both, Michael and Barbara. I still don't get illnesses being "willed" into one's life, and the random acts of violence such as school shootings are beyond me. I think they are products of real "evil", and I'm aware that you have to have the bad to balance the good. I wonder if we can get the producers of The Secret to explain these horrid things? Or would they simply say what I just said?
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Submitted By: Barbara Neff
posted on 5/21/2007 @ 11:39:12 AM
Rated Story
I agree with with Anthonette and Mick. Chances are, we are going to get exactly what we give in this life. Life will turn out mostly according to our own expectations. The saying "what goes around comes around" is pretty much on the mark. But, we cannot dismiss the random, as Mick says. There *is* such a thing as being a victim and there *is* such a thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong. Humans, particularly children and those impaired, are not always in control and cannot be held personally accountable for all that arrives in their lives. The Secret is 70% good brain food, 30% fluff, in my opinion.
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Submitted By: Michael Rule
posted on 5/20/2007 @ 7:09:26 AM
Rated Story
Anthonette, I too strongly believe in the powers of positive thinking. But..I feel there is also a randomness to the universe. And then there is karma. Did the students at VT or Columbine bring about the gun that killed them? I think not; they just went to class. Which brings about another side, the powers of evil. When my friend was gunned down I struggled with the why. I'll never forget the words of the preacher conducting his service; "This was not God's act, This was an act of evil." Those words helped me immensely. I think our society is great in many ways, but the dysfunctions show themselves in the responses and struggles of our youth. You are quickly becoming one of my favorite bloggers; keep writing!
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Showing 1-3 of 3 comments
CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Anthonette Klinkerman

Castle Pines North

Anthonette Klinkerman has posted 71 stories and 43 comments since joining on 4/14/2006. Anthonette Klinkerman 's average story rating is 4.94.
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