Some Balance Please?
2007
Since I’ve begun blogging I’ve been hearing alot about the Law of Attraction. And Oprah featured the movie “The Secret” today (2/8/07) on her show, featuring the Law of Attraction. According to this principle (from Oprah.com),
“…we create our own circumstances by the choices we make in life. And the choices we make are fueled by our thoughts—which means our thoughts are the most powerful things we have here on earth.”
I can definitely understand that the way we think affects the choices we make. And those choices can definitely have a positive or negative influence on our lives. However, I think we need to really exercise balance here.
I have a very dear friend who was in a car accident in 2000. Actually, an armored truck rolled into her from behind at a traffic light. That accident affected my friend’s back so much so that it drastically affected her everyday movements. What you must know is that my friend is one of the most positive people I know. Yet, she experienced not only one accident, but three in a matter of 3 years. None of the accidents were her fault – at all! And yet, her back continued to get worse with each accident. She had great faith. Her attitude remainded good from the beginning. But she had car accidents.
It seems according to the Law of Attraction, the reason she was in the car accidents to begin with was that she attracted them because of what she was thinking. I just really think that’s extreme.
I’ve certainly attracted some negativity in my own life based upon some poor decisions I made. Nevertheless, sometimes, I believe, life just happens. I had complications during my pregnancy three years ago to the point where I ended up on hospital bedrest for 12 weeks and an additional 2-1/2 weeks bedrest at home. That was absolutely no fun at all. Yet, I would balk if someone told me that the reason I ended up in the hospital was as a result of my thought processes. I ended up in the hospital because I had a short cervix and it thinned and opened up when I was 22 weeks pregnant! Human anatomy, I think, not mind control.
I don’t know…I think it is important to think positively. Controlling one’s emotions is necessary if we are going to live a fruitful and blessed life. However, there are just some things that are out of our own hands. We can’t control everything, even by our own thoughts. I read an interesting post by Jacob Glass at Jacob Glass Ministries that sums up what essentially I’m trying to say. He says this:
“…the Universe is most certainly NOT a giant catalog in which you can order anything you want and it is childish and spiritually immature to think so. However, the possibilities available to us are far beyond what we have been taught and as we grow in our understanding and love we are able to draw to us a greater and greater experience of life than anything that could be found in a catalog or on a wish list.”
Now that I can live with – and think about.
What do you think? Do you live by the Law of Attraction? If so, share your experiences about how it has influenced your life. If you live by this principle, how would you explain it to people who reside in Third World countries, for example, who are living under oppressive conditions they cannot control because those situations are government-run and led? There are other examples, but I’d really like to understand how this principle can be billed as universal.
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I really enjoyed reading this post!
I do live by this concept, and I am convinced in it.
Four years ago I was a single mum, and I imagined how life could be, and I read a book called “visioning” and “my heart’s desire” – both were about attracting the sort of life you wanted for yourself. Just about everything that has happened ever sinnce has been fed by those thoughts from that time.
I am currently undertaking IVF fertility treatment, and my acupuncturist says “don’t think “I want this IVF to work”, think “I want a baby to come into my life” and leave the possiblities wide open. I think that’s the key – don’t be too specific with the laws of attraction!!
As to how this happens in countries where opportunities just don’t exist in the same way, that’s a tough one. Again, maybe by leaving your “wish list” wide open, it gives you greater flexibility? Hard to not make that sound flippant… How many “opportunites” does someone in extreme poverty have?
Will watch your post with interest and see what ideas others have!
I do believe in the concept of “being the change that you wish to affect”, but I certainly don’t go for the “God is Santa Claus” idea that a legalistic interpretation of this law of attraction could potentially lead to. I’ve also heard it referred to in Christian circles as “prosperity theology”, where you create your own circumstances, good or bad, out of your thoughts and prayers. I don’t buy that version of it, but I do like the quote you posted.
In regards to that friend of yours, I’m always amazed when I hear about people like this, who are authentically upbeat even in the midst of major problems that aren’t even their fault. It’s what I think of when I find myself whining because I don’t have some new tech gadget or whatever
Great post, by the way. Glad I found this blog.
This is a really good post. And I like the design of your blog, by the way.
It’s so true that we shouldn’t say that people attract everything negative they receive in their lives.
Just look at Job in the Bible. He got sick and his friends blamed him — saying he must’ve done something wrong.
Not always true.
While many people might attract bad stuff because they speak negatively and think negatively, it’s not a blanket statement.
But that The Secret does look good. Thank God for showing me those principles over the past few years thru His mighty Word.
I believe in the principles outlined in The Secret, though so far I have only applied or believed in spurts over the years. But I feel invigorated and incredibly hopeful after learning about The Secret, and I can’t wait to see what good things happen in my life as I incorporate The Secret into the fabric of who I am and how I think.
You’re right, it’s tough to believe that your happy friend attracted three accidents. My friend’s dad died of cancer but to the end he tried to fight it with visualization, meditation and positive thinking. It wasn’t enough. But it’s hard to judge that situation or the one you described as I don’t know the people involved except for the very high level descriptions of them I’ve received. Even you don’t know everything that was going on in your friend’s inner world. Only she knows for sure whether it’s possible that she attracted it or not. Then again, the video points out that unconscious thoughts also come into play, so she may not even be fully aware of what’s been happening.
When you talk about your pregnancy complications, that’s tougher for me to “rationalize” using The Secret or anything else. But what I take away from that is that you overcame it. It sounds like you are an open-minded and positive person and perhaps that helped. Who knows. I guess no one can pretend to know all of the secrets of the universe, even the passionate, successful and smart experts in The Secret.
But I do have some thoughts on how The Secret is relevant to the the lives of the oppressed, impoverished people living in developing nations with corrupt governments–this is such an important issue to ponder and I’m glad you brought it up. What have they done to attract the worst living conditions imaginable? Nothing! It seems obvious that they were born into it by chance (or at the mercy of conditions created by others, namely heartless governments), and did not choose or attract it in any way. However (while I’ve only seen the DVD and not read the book), I don’t think that The Secret is saying you control the conditions you’re born into. Only that you have the power to change and/or create the life you want through your feelings, thoughts and actions. Clearly, most people on this planet (from Africans who literally have nothing to middle class Americans) are not aware of the law of attraction and thus their own power over their lives and desitinies, and so real change is not possible due to that lack of awareness. As the DVD points out, leaders have long kept the law of attraction from the masses and so through most of time the lower classes have been stuck. This is rather simplistic view of history but I believe it to hold a lot of truth.
All this has brought up so many more questions. For one: If our thoughts are so powerful, do they not affect others’ lives and not just our own? That may help explain a lot of the questions and issues. There’s so much to think about! It’s overwhelming and confusing but a great conversation to have.
Thanks for asking such poignant and honest questions in your thought-provoking post!
Rachel, thank you so much for visiting my site…
I pray for you success with your fertility treatments. Certainly it sounds like if you don’t box yourself in, you leave yourself open to all sorts of good possibilities to come into your life. And that makes sense to me!
With regard to opportunities in Third World countries again, I really wonder. Within the past few years, a well-known evangelist packed up his stuff and moved to Africa to begin a new ministry. Here’s the URL for that
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/wilkinsonquits.htm
I don’t make light of this at all; I just think things are a bit more complicated than we can see on the surface, especially when it comes to other nations and cultures with which we are unfamiliar.
Hi Holmes,
I’m with you…I try to remain upbeat, but sometimes, at least for me, it’s seems a bit contrived. Sometimes my students irritate me (as much as I love them), my daughter can sometimes grate me (but I try to show her love in the midst of it – right now it’s not that hard), my husband and I sometimes butt heads (but he’s so awesome). It’s those times that my mind can go toward the negative. I can recognize it alot, but sometimes not right away. I’m getting better at it though.
Hi Paula,
Thanks for stopping by! Job is a perfect example. God allowed those things to happen to him. Who’s to say it can’t happen to us too?
Nevertheless, I think being reminded of the importance of having a good attitude and thinking positively instead of negatively is a good lesson. It’s like when my students say, “I’m not a morning person.” Of course you’re not. You say it, and it’s self-fulfilling.
Hi Amber!
You raise some interesting points. We don’t know what is going on in the inner lives of others, true.
Yet, in spite of one’s positivity, life just happens sometimes, in my mind.
And really, the Law of Attraction is not new. In fact, when you look at the proverbs in the Book of Proverbs (or any other ancient text), these texts were written over 2000 years ago. And these proverbs were widely communicated to an intended audience. So this Law is really no secret. People think it’s been held from the masses because the terminology is a little different than that seen in ancient texts. And really, many people don’t give credence to ancient texts like the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament. Yet, many of these sayings, not all of them religious, have been studied and applied throughout time.
I just read about this at another blog – I had never heard of it. I think there are people who attract negativity by their actions, but then I know of people, including myself, who kept getting a crap sandwich handed to them everytime they turned around, and it’s baffling.
Yeah, Lisa, I know what you mean. That’s why I don’t think that the principle can be so black and white. I like the “crap sandwich” picture. I just wonder if when bad things do happen to a person who practices the Law of Attraction “religiously” can they sometimes see that maybe stuff happens, and that is just a reality of life? That, while you may not deserve the “crap sandwich,” it’s handed to you on a plate anyway?
I have been enjoying your posts in general and this one in particular, here are some thoughts I came up with when i was sneinding a link out of my online movie:
There is a rumor going around that we are each creating our own personal universes in every moment with every thought. Marianne Williamson says so, Joe Vitale says so, Deepak Chopra says so, and even Oprah who recently talked about “The Secret” on her show says so. But what does that mean? Is it that, we are all one and everything we see in front of us is a reflection of who we are? Is all we have done or thought, both the perceived “good” and “bad”, now what we see before us? I think so. By knowing this and embracing this are found the seeds of change for us all. The Big Book of You – The Movie explores this, please go to this link to check out the movie: http://www.bigbookofyou.com/BBYmovie1/BBYmovie1.html, enjoy! (You can also find it on YouTube searching the big book of you) As I created the words, the photographs, and the movie I held the intention of healing and forgiveness, that healing energy is available for all who watch it.
I think the book/movie offers some insights regarding the law of attraction (LoA). tIn fact I think that the LoA is is often way oversimplified for the complicated beings that we are.
Thanks again for your ongoing insights.