The Secret: What's the Big Secret?

I know I'm going to take a lot of criticism for criticizing The Secret, which has become a successful phenomenon in the self help world recently.  I'll just say right now that it feels scary and makes me feel vulnerable for me to say what I'm about to say, but I must speak my truth. 

I love the law of attraction.  It works, it's real, it's irrefutable.  No problem there. 

However...what the heck IS the secret of this movie?  The producers of the movie would have us believe that the movie's tenets have been kept a secret from the hungry public looking for enlightenment for thousands of years.  I believe that's slick marketing.  Different faiths and philosophies have called it different things throughout the ages (i.e., you reap what you sow, karma, do unto others, law of attraction, what goes around comes around, etc.).  Perhaps I am oversimplifying, but doesn't all of this say the same thing?  You get what you put out into the universe!  That's no secret.   

I've been trying to figure out what it is about the movie that makes me antsy and I pinned the tail on the donkey this morning.  I believe the movie focuses so much on ME focusing on what I want to attract, it does little justice to the fact that service to others is an integral part of being human and attracting good stuff into our lives.  I'm not suggesting we all go out, quit our jobs, give up wanting to attract material wealth, and save the world, but I do believe that in this day and age of throwing money at problems rather than time, we have lost sight that nothing replaces human touch or time spent supporting or helping others as part of the formula to individual success and happiness.  I am disappointed that The Secret doesn't completely address this. 

I was recently dismayed to hear that The Secret was shown at a local private high school; oddly enough, a school whose leaders purport to eschew mass media.  What worries me is that I don't believe most of the kids in this particular cloistered, financially blessed environment have been brought up with any clue about service to others.  I hear a lot of talk about peace and love and a lot of complaining about social issues from these people, but I have yet to see them flocking to the local soup kitchen to volunteer or donating blood.  It's action, not talk, that changes lives.

Where in all of this is another ancient truth - the "secret" that doesn't get equal air time in the movie (i.e., "When you give, you get."), the "secret" that requires people to think for themselves and do for others? 

I worry that some of these self help gurus, while giving us good messages, are leaving out important pieces of the pie.  I worry that as our society becomes more pressed for time, we have lost our human-ness by throwing money to experts rather than old fashioned time, focus, and roll-up-your-sleeves-elbow- grease. 

Yes, I do believe what The Secret tells us: focusing on what we DO want rather than what we DON'T want is the only way to achieve our goals and better the world as a whole.   I like to see that message reaching the enlightment-seeking consumers.  I have no doubt that this movie has inspired a lot of people, but I think it misses the boat by not emphasizing the responsibility we all have to roll our sleeves up, dig in, and donate time and energy to people with less than ourselves as part of the well-balanced and successful lives we all desire. 

My grandmother once told me, "It's easy.  You can choose misery and complaining about the situation or you can choose to do something about the situation." 

My grandmother was not an expert on the law of attraction.  She followed no specific spiritual practices.  She was just a regular person, but she got The Secret long before the secret was neatly packaged up into a movie.  Simple. 

So I ask, "What's the big secret?"

The secret of The Secret is that it's not a secret.

The Secret is a damn brilliant piece of marketing. 

Comments

[BJ]

I thought you and your readers might be interested in this...
The Oprah broadcast of "The Secret" will be February 8th. Also, it will be followed by an International Law of
Attraction Teleconference. If you want more info go to http://www.lawofattractionteleconference.com.
Also, the more posts that Oprah gets on her message boards about a particular topic, the more inclined she is to
repeat the topic. So go to www.oprah.com and find the message board for “The Secret” to let her know that you
want more of the same!
Spread the word!