If we accept that the Secret is true, how do we explain when bad things happen? Have people who have bad things happen in their lives asked for those bad things? The “Law of Attraction” seems to say they have.
Laws are things that are universally true, like gravity. Laws apply in all places at all times. So if the Secret’s Law of Attraction is true, it is true always and everywhere. That would mean that people who think positively get positive things in their lives and people who think negatively get negative things in their lives. Is this true?
Are pessimists poor, lonely, unhappy? Are optimists rich, popular and happy? In fact, optimists and pessimists are represented in both the rich and the poor, lonely and popular, happy and unhappy. Pessimists are more likely to be depressed, so negative thinking does affect your mood, if not your bank account.
And what about the people who are the victims of crimes or natural disasters? Have they somehow drawn these tragedies into their lives? It would be difficult to believe that people invited the Tsunami, even if they tried really hard. And what of the children and babies who were swept out to sea? How could a baby manifest a Tsunami? This is a dangerous way to think and could be a way of blaming the victim.
There are more questions about the Secret than are listed here, but this may be a good starting point for logically examining this issue. It may seem trivial to pull apart something so benign as wishing for good things in your life, but there are some sinister aspects to this. Certainly, blaming the victim is a big problem which can be a secondary trauma for already traumatised people.
Another issue is that the Secret is the fastest-selling self-help book ever. There is big money in self-help and the Secret has made a lot of people very rich. There’s nothing wrong with getting rich as long as it is not by harming people, so it is important that we consider whether the Secret is helping. If wishing for good things leads to good things then there is no harm, so lets look next at whether wishing leads to happiness.
Next - Can wishing lead to happiness?
