Debunking The Secret Of The Secret Of The Secret

I’ve mentioned it in passing for a few months now, ever since a friend told me the movie was available to view on his website. On Monday, CNN ran an article on The Secret, and how book sales are sky high (2-million DVDs sold, 5.2-million books sold, although it’s more like 5,199,999 since my sister bought it “by accident” thinking it was a different book entirely) and criticism is starting to grow louder. Although I’m not a professional talking head like those in the movie, I have seen it, and my friends really believe the premise of the text is accurate, so I think I’m in a position to chime in on the subject.

The secret is, supposedly, that there is a governing body that presides over everything in the physical as well as the mental world. It’s called The Law of Attraction. When a person internalizes what they want to attract, and continues to think positively about attaining that desire (it could be material or spiritual), the law of attraction will bring you together with that desire. What doesn’t make sense at all is a quote in the CNN article from the creator of The Secret. Rhonda Byrne (a former reality TV producer) states, “The law of attraction says that like attracts like, and when you think and feel what you want to attract on the inside, the law will…magnetize what you want to you, and magnetize you to it.” The Law of Attraction, of course, is just a theory which is associated almost exclusively with New Age movements, most of which draw support from people who are unwilling to check the verification of many tenets of these movements. As far as Rhonda Byrne is concerned, she’s equating the Law of Attraction to a physical magnet, which is retarded, because everybody knows that magnets attract opposing poles and repel like-poles. Whatever, that’s one quote. Sure it’s the very basis of the entire “secret,” but I’m willing to look past that glaring mistake for now. Instead, let’s examine some of the advice from the film.

Learning to harness the Law of Attraction is discussed by various “teachers,” like John Gray (author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, divorcee, and 9/11 Truth Statement signatory), Esther Hicks (spirit channeler who was removed from the The Secret following a controversy), and David Schirmer. This guy is my favorite. He’s an investment guru who claims, he “used to always think about debt,” so he “always got bills in the mail.” These days, he “visualizes” receiving checks in the mail, and now that’s all he gets. My God. Can you imagine that? The guy went from being a normal human being to being totally focused on money to the point where he has transcended the need for a credit card, television, phone/Internet service, water, electricity or any transportation. Maybe he just pays his bills online, so there’s no paperwork? By the way, about a week ago A Current Affair ran a segment on David Schirmer featuring people who claimed he failed to give them money he promised to invest on their behalf, and alleged he was using The Secret to promote himself and his business practices (oh, you think?). After surprising Schirmer with this video footage, he promised to investigate where their money went and give them money back after “three months.” So apparently it takes three months to use The Secret in order to obtain money. Keep that in mind if that’s the sort of thing you’re going to be using your newfound secret power for…

A common theme mentioned by some of the personal transformation specialists and moneymaking experts (I know, these are the people who are going to help you achieve everything you want from life), is that people in positions of power are trying to keep the “secret” hidden from the public. This one plays right into the hands of schizotypal personalities, who are just the demographic that would a)probably be purchasing a self-help book, and b) get off on a baseless statement like that.

What’s more, Rhoda Byrne herself has found quotes throughout history suggesting that some of the “greatest people in history” were also secret teachers. The list includes Buddha, Aristotle, Plato, Isaac Newton, Martin Luther King, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, and Beethoven. Those men, much like their modern contemporaries John Gray and David Schirmer, knew the secret!

The worst theme is that of blaming-the-victim, which basically teaches us that anything negative that occurs in life is the fault of the sufferer, and those people should not only be blamed for illnesses or poor circumstances, but they should be shunned for fear of your being affected by their negative thoughts. The CNN article touches on a quote from the book, which dismisses genetic predisposition to being overweight as a “[disguise] for thinking ‘fat thoughts’.” In a related story, frat-boys everywhere are buying The Secret in droves in order to learn how to spin rape allegations with the, “She was asking for it” defense.

Now, this is not to say I don’t believe in the power of positive thinking, but there is a marked difference between that and The Secret. The former still involves a measure of work on the part of the person who desires change in their current situation. The ill patient thinks positively about recovery while receiving medical attention. The failing student thinks positively while bettering his/her study habits. The Secret asserts that there is no work necessary in order get everything you want in life. It’s the perfect mirage for millions of American suckers who just want money without having to actually earn it. “Secret Teacher” Albert Einstein once said, “The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.” If he were alive today I wonder just how far beyond stupid Einstein would find The Secret.