theSecret: the philosophy jihad among the spiritual

To all theSecret.tv haters:

If you hate the Secret, what the Bleep, new age and other things that you don’t perceive as rational/critically thought out and within the realm of accepted scientific phenomenon, you will love this article:
http://julianwalkeryoga.zaadz.com/blog/2006/12/the_secret_spiritual_cinema

(didn’t realize that there was some sort of “philosophy Jihad” going on among those that deem themselves “spiritual”. whatever.)

Ken Wilber and Julian Walker are in alignment with Alexander’s view.

IMHO, even though Julian’s raises amazingly cutting arguments, I walked away with a positive vibe from theSecret (this puts me in the ‘not too bright category according to ken & julian… I’ve been called MUCH worse). I don’t think there is anything wrong with thinking positively. Although Ken and Julian are calling it narcissistic, infantile and dangerously naive.

As far as the Law of Attraction, Ken (over at Integral Naked) brings up the “Auschwitz” argument. The Auschwitz argument goes a little something like this: If positive thinking and LOA is all a person needs, then what about the people in Auschwitz. Nothing like positive thinking or LOA saved them. Did the victims of Auschwitz create THAT reality? Furthermore, the secret implies that all those currently suffering in the world (i.e. children with AIDS) “thought” the dilemma upon themselves. How can the Law of Attraction exist in a universe of Holocausts and AIDS babies?

He drives what seems like a “death blow” to the Law of Attraction. But I think there is still room for the LOA.

Here is a lame attempt at thought:
LOA is saying that the world is completely subjective. Perhaps that is a liiiittle to simplistic. More science minded folks are saying this is an objective universe and NO ONE can go around blinking objects in and out of existence (see law of conservation of energy). But I feel that the universe is neither completely objective or completely subjective. Its both. The nature of our objective situations (what ever they maybe) are colored by our interpretation of that situation. So positive thought does matter. Subject thought alone won’t be enough to undo the Holocaust the history, but its the first step to recovery.

The audacity of optimism is what keeps us clinging to hope even in the darkest times and having faith when all hope is lost. I guess that is why Hope can be our greatest strength and our greatest tragedy.

As for Human suffering it self (why does it exist if there is an LOA) that is something I will not downplay by attempting to rationalize or frame in some sort of dogma.

As far as the LOA goes, I guess I can only speak for my self when I say, some strange shit has happened to me that science can not yet explain. It maybe as Ken Wilber says, people are just bending “spirituality” into their own narcissistic self centered whims, but I doubt this is the driving force of all of us dumb asses who believe in theSecret.

I suspect the Secret and similar material are so popular because both mainstream science and mainstream religion have shut the door on attempting to explain or even acknowledge the existence of strange phenomenon that happens to everyday people like me short of calling us insane, stupid or full of sin.