Exposing Rhonda Byrne's THE SECRET
The holidays are here and Rhonda Byrne’s “The Secret” is STILL on the NYT Bestseller list, meaning some of you might be getting a copy for Hanukkah or Christmas. The Secret has been translated into every major language and has sold over seven million copies.
But not all readers celebrated the book’s popularity. Many readers criticized its blame-the-victim mentality. Dr. Richard Wender feared that it would drive those in need of western medical attention away. Journalist Catherine Bennet called The Secret a “moronic hymn to greed and selfishness.” But to me, criticizing The Secret for such specific things is kind of like criticizing Hitler for being a braggart and a narcissist; it’s true, but it misses the big picture. Hitler was a murderous tyrant and The Secret is complete and utter nonsense.
For those of you who haven’t read The Secret—the both of you—Rhonda Byrne’s “secret” is something called “the law of attraction.” According to The Secret, “The law of attraction simply gives you whatever it is you are thinking about.” It’s important to point out that when Byrne says this, she isn’t speaking metaphorically; “The law of attraction is a law of nature. It is as impartial and impersonal as the law of gravity is. It is precise, and it is exact.”
Let’s test Byrne’s theory out. When you’re done reading this sentence, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and think about a million extra dollars in your bank account.
If you didn’t actually close your eyes and attempt this experiment, I don’t blame you. But if you did, allow me to fully explain the irony of what just took place: you don’t have a million extra dollars in your bank account, but Byrne does, and she got that money by telling people that they’d get whatever they thought about—including money, the book has a whole chapter on it. Byrne, of course, would tell you that the reason you don’t have a million dollars in your bank account right now is that you didn’t actually believe that such a feat was possible:
“How it will happen, how the Universe will bring it to you, is not your concern or job. Allow the Universe to do it for you. When you are trying to work out how it will happen, you are emitting a frequency that contains a lack of faith—that you don’t believe you have it already. You think you have to do it and you do not believe the Universe will do it for you. The how is not your part in the Creative Process.”
Later in the The Secret, though, Byrne explains “the how,” which is to say, she explains how, preciselyish, wishing for something makes it so:
“Remember that your thoughts are the primary cause of everything. So when you think a sustained thorough it is immediately sent out into the Universe. That thought magnetically attaches itself to the like frequency and then within seconds sends the reading of that frequency back to you through your feelings.”
I was surprised to see Byrne offering such a scientific-sounding explanation of the law of attraction. I assumed the Australian writer/television producer would shy away from all things science for fear of being attacked on her lack of credentials. Little did I know, Byrne has scientific credentials: “I never studied science or physics at school, and yet when I read complex books on quantum physics I understood them perfectly because I wanted to understand them.” Here’s what Byrne took from her physics books:
“Let me explain how you are the most powerful transmission tower in the Universe. In simple terms, all energy vibrates at a frequency. Being energy, you also vibrate at a frequency and what determines your frequency at any time is whatever you are thinking and feeling. And the things you want are made of energy, and they are vibrating too…When you think about what you want, and you emit that frequency, you cause the energy of what you want to vibrate at that frequency and you bring it to You! As you focus on what you want, you are changing the vibration of the atoms of that thing, and you are causing it to vibrate to You.”
You don’t need a Harvard or Yale physicist to tell you that the above passage is garbage. Still, I contacted a professor of physicists at Harvard and one at Yale, and asked them to evaluate the accuracy of the above passage. Harvard said that she “couldn’t make any sense of it”, and Yale called it “complete nonsense.” I asked Yale whether he though Byrne had read any books on physics, and he said, “There is little in this passage that indicates any understand of quantum physics.”
Really, there are so many better gifts to give for Christmas or Hanukkah...anything is better than the gift of false hope.
Rick. You and I have had
Rick.
You and I have had several conversations regarding this book. To be honest, I've only seen the film version because I heard it was much better (my guess is that this is partially due to a lack of science-esque garble) but I will comment on this post nonetheless.
1) I do not fully endorse the book or movie, but I do think that some of what they have to say can be extremely powerful and helpful to some people.
2) There are plenty of things that science cannot yet explain (the fact that Byrne offers a ridiculous scientific explanation is her own fault. Stupid). A more reasonable explanation might be that if you think about something happening often enough, it is more likely to happen than if you don't think about it. If you actually believe it will happen rather than secretly doubting it, it is even more likely to happen. Simply having the thought constantly present in your conscious or even sub-conscious will "draw" it to you because you are more likely to act in a way that brings whatever it is about.
As an example, take this fictitious story:
Bob is a lazy man. His girlfriend complains that he smells terrible all the time and leaves him. Bob reads the Secret. Bob puts a picture of his girlfriend on his "vision board" (or whatever) and constantly thinks about her. While he is constantly thinking about her, Bob remembers that she used to complain about how he smelled. He decides to wear deodorant, which only mildly affects his problem. He keeps thinking about her. Bob starts doing his laundry weekly instead of monthly. He keeps thinking about her. Bob starts showering daily. He keeps thinking about her. One day Bob is thinking about her while he is on a walk with his dog and he notices that he is in her neighborhood. While he passes her door she comes outside to get the mail. He says hi and gives her a hug. At first she shies away but notices that his stench cloud has been replaced by a magical combination of Pure Sport, Irish Spring and Tide "Clean Breeze". She buries her nose in his chest and they never again part.
Now I understand that this is nothing more than anecdotal evidence, but it is a simple explanation of how thought can "draw" something to you by what appears to be a "magnetic force". It is hard to deny that thinking about something makes it more likely to occur. Anything that anyone has made or done started with a thought. If Rick never thought about blogging about his misadventures, then he never would have done it, guaranteed. My guess is that he had to think about it several times and even believe that it was going to happen before it did. Same idea, less hoakie, but it makes sense to me at least.
Now I won't argue that some of what Byrne says is silly. Still, saying that the whole book is worthless is also silly. I suggest that if you actually tried some of her methods and allowed yourself to believe that they would work, they would. For a staunch skeptic like you, that might be a tall order to fill. Has anybody besides me found any success with this stuff?
Hi, thanks for your great
Hi, thanks for your great insights and being one of the very few capable of seeing though all the smokes and mirrors.
It’s amazing how people defend it. Usually along the lines: Yes, I have found some problem with it, but… And often bright scientists, and indeed layers.
How is it possible that these sober minded individuals cannot see the light of reason… or are they in a trance of some sorts?
It simply is the greatest con ever conceived, thriving on our neediness and greed. And granted, the makers surely have studied their target market very well.
Ever since I saw the airing of it on Oprah I knew it spelt trouble and started doing some research. I very soon realized the same babble surfaced during the boom period before the great depression. And eighty years later – notably as that generation is no more – we’re back to square one, the current economic crisis, which analysts now are saying is far more severe than then.
That Oprah show led me to write a book which warned that a severe crisis was looming because of what I described as a prevailing consumerist psychosis. The book is titled THE SCOURGE OF OUR TIME: THE DEMISE OF CRITICAL THINKING IN THE AGE OF THE SECRET.
It was completed in early August and I sent a copy to The University of Amsterdam and Simon and Schuster, the publisher of the book – not that I expected them to publish, but rather for the record.
For more go to: http://www.newfort.co.za/scourgeindex.html (general);
http://www.newfort.co.za/scourge.pdf (on the economy) and
http://www.newfort.co.za/voodoo.pdf (on science).
The relevant extract on the economy is as per the aforementioned books for to the UA and S&S.
Counselor Ryan, I agree that
Counselor Ryan,
I agree that it’s powerful to people. Helpful is debatable. I mean, does false hope really help people? Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know if there’s anything science “can’t” explain, but there is some stuff that science “hasn’t” explained. Big difference.
The story about Bob is nice, and I’m glad he got the girl, but I don’t think The Secret helped him; I think it was the deodorant.
And I HAVE read a lot of the book, and I HAVE tried it. Nothing came of it.
Counselor Newton, That's
Counselor Newton,
That's so interesting that the Secret started during the Great Depression. Makes sense, though. Will check out those links now.
To get a sense of what it
To get a sense of what it was like during the time before The Great Depression, consider the following by Manly P Hall, founder of the American Philosophic Society, written in 1926.
“Though the demonism of the Middle Ages seems to have disappeared, there is abundant evidence that in many forms of modern thought – especially the so-called "prosperity" psychology, "willpower-building" metaphysics, and systems of "high-pressure" salesmanship – black magic has merely passed through a metamorphosis, and although its name be changed its nature remains the same…
“My fleeting contact with high finance resulted in serious doubts concerning business as it was being conducted at that time. It was apparent that materialism was in complete control of the economic structure, the final objective of which was for the individual to become part of a system providing an economic security at the expense of the human soul, mind, and body.”
I don’t know about black magic, but this gives a general sense of the attitudes at the time which parallels the mentality of today, and particularly that associated with "The Secret".
Notwithstanding this, the guru’s referenced in The Secret which supposedly inspired Byrne – advocating the Law of Attraction and the power of the universe – all proliferated the same “power of positive thinking” prosperity message during this time, basing their general ideology on the emerging new age movement of the early 1900’s. As such we are obliged to question the efficacy of the methods as it resulted in the bleakest time in US economic history. Note however that the movement completely fizzled out after that (I suppose because of the bitter experiences), and now resurfacing as that generation is no more… This age old human pathology of history being intent on repeating itself…
I propose an experiment. It
I propose an experiment. It will take 2 years, but I think it will be invaluable to anyone that feels the need to undertake it.
Year 1: Spend all year thinking as negatively as possible. Any time something positive looms, instantly think of how it will turn to shit. Fill your mind with doubt. Instead of having goals, be steadfast in the knowledge that you can accomplish nothing of worth.
Year 2: Spend all year thinking as positively as possible. Any time something negative pops into your head, think of a way that you can turn it into something that will help you. Be absolutely assured in your ability to accomplish anything you put your mind to. Constantly make goals (big, small, whatever) and do your best to accomplish them.
At the end of year 2, decide which year went better. During which year did you accomplish more as a human? During which year did you get more done, make more money, make and keep more friends, etc? During which year were you happier?
Simple. Whichever mode of thought makes you more satisfied, go with it. If it makes you feel better to be more practical than ignorant, as you see it, then go for it. If it makes you happier to focus on the positive aspects of your life and constantly seeking to accomplish your goals, then do it.
I'm not saying that happiness is the absolute purpose of our time on earth. I'm not even saying that "positive thinking" will work as well for everyone. I suggest that being happy is a nice perk, however, and will probably help you do whatever it is you want to do at least a little bit better. And I strongly suggest that if you are constantly directing your mind towards happiness, you are more likely to get there. Will you magnetically draw a new car through the universe by thought alone? Probably not. So don't be a dumbass and spend all your time hoping for a car you can't afford, unless you are willing to get off your butt and work for it.
Yeah, I kinda agree with
Yeah, I kinda agree with your last paragraph. But it doesn't really prove any of the stuff in The Secret. Plus the sample size is so small...
The issue is not about being
The issue is not about being positive or negative. I've seen some of the most negative people becoming the wealthiness. They generally are referred to as Obsessive Compulsive Disordered because they obsess about the slightest detail because they are so damned scared of failure... I agree with your last comment though, and it does not change that The Secret is a con which thrives on the shallowness of our time.
Fortunately I'm not American, in fact I live in Africa (ironically where the poorest, but also according to some obscure happiness index, where the happiest of people live) and so I think it is difficult for the average American to discern the wood from the trees. Perhaps it is useful to consider the following lines from Viktor Frankl's (well know Nazi death camp survivor)Man's Search for Meaning.
"How can we say yes to life in spite of pain, guilt and death?
After all, “saying yes to life in spite of everything” presupposes that life is meaningful under any conditions, even those which are most miserable. And this presupposes the human capacity to creatively turn life’s negative aspects into something positive or constructive. In other words, what matters is to make the best of every given situation. Hence I speak of a tragic optimism, that is an optimism in the face of tragedy and in view of human potential which at its best always allows for: turning suffering into a human achievement and accomplishment; deriving from guilt the opportunity to change oneself for the better; deriving from life’s transistorizes an incentive to take responsible action.
It must be kept in mind, however, that optimism is not anything to be commanded or ordered. One cannot even force oneself to be optimistic indiscriminately, against all odds, against all hope. And what is true for hope is also true for the other two components of the triad inasmuch as faith and love cannot be commanded or ordered either.
"To the European, it is a character of the American culture that, again and again, one is commanded and ordered to “be happy.” But happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. One must have a reason to “be happy.” Once the reason is found, however, one becomes happy automatically. As we see, a human being is not one in pursuit of happiness but rather in search of a reason to become happy, last but not least, through actualising the potential meaning inherent and dormant in a given situation."
Personally I think it is American's "Pursuit of Happiness" mentality that is at the heart of the current financial mess the world now is finding itself in. Nevertheless, stay positive and happy regardless... What choice do we have, unless it is an obsessive compulsive preoccupation to be happy which in fact is holding you back from actually being truly happy, and not happy only for others to see.
Happy 2009 notwithstanding
Also see "The poison of
Also see "The poison of positive thinking: How self-help culture helped create the credit crisis", a recent article in the New York Daily News.
The link is: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/12/26/2008-12-26_the_poison_of_....
Glad to know I'm not the only one making such a otherwise seemingly ludicris claim.
Consillors In your astute
Consillors
In your astute deliberations on this matter, please consider this link as well: http://selfhelpfraud.com/uploads/Anti-Secret_Teleseminar.mp3
Interesting play of words.
Interesting play of words. The rules of attraction may be natural, but everyone has the right to refuse. This book seems to be yet another story that tries to make a philosophical case about something concrete like attraction, but falls short with evidence or accuracy.