Oprah has a secret, and she was willing to share it with her audience yesterday. Generally speaking, I have neither the time nor the inclination to watch her show, but the promo for "The Secret" lured me in. The show was also a topic of discussion on the WKTI morning radio show today. After watching Oprah, I think "The Secret" is really not such a secret after all.
After doing research on her own, a woman (I'm sorry I can't remember her name) created a book and DVD called "The Secret." She explains the secret as "the law of attraction": that like attracts like, that what you put into the universe you will receive back. Although I haven't read the book or seen her DVD, I gather that they both are compilations of testimonials of people who have employed the law of attraction to create success in their professional and/or personal lives. On Oprah's show, four "teachers" were present to further explain how this law of attraction worked to their benefit. The four teachers were people from various backgrounds, all experiencing some sort of hardship in the past (drugs, prison, financial difficulties, underprivileged background) and all experiencing success in the present. One of them was the creator of the "Chicken Soup" books.
Although I am a person of faith and believe that there are things beyond the perception of human beings, I began to get a bit cynical when I started hearing words like "positive energy" and "visualization" being thrown into the mix. So, with skepticism, I continued to watch. After hearing the entire show, I think "The Secret" is really just a mixture of what I learned in Sunday School and common sense.
The "law of attraction" is something that has existed in religious philosophies for a long time. In Christianity, there is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" or maybe even "Love thy neighbor." In the Hindu and Buddhist faith, there is the concept of "karma," that how one behaves and acts will determine what one will receive in turn. To put it in more secular terms, "what goes around, comes around."
Amidst all the talk of positive energy though, there was one man who I think put it best. It's not enough to have "positive feelings" and sit around just thinking about what you want to achieve. You need to ACT. That's where the common sense comes in.
But there was one more thing he said: you need to open yourself up to feeling gratitude. That's a hard one. How many of us in the midst of enormous personal/professional difficulty can focus on thanking the powers that be for what we already have? How many of us can take the focus off what is wrong and look to what is right?
That's where some of us need help. Maybe that help comes from buying and reading "The Secret" book and watching the DVD. Maybe it comes from talking to trusted friends or a minister. Maybe it comes from simply watching Oprah and having what she calls an "Aha!" moment.
That's what it took for me. Last year was difficult for me. I lost my mother to cancer. I had major surgery, from which I am still recovering, and I have lately been feeling like I am not living up to my potential. But I am done with focusing on myself. For a long time, I have wanted to do some sort of volunteer work, to give back, but was never sure if I really had the time. I did some research, and I found that the American Cancer Society is looking for volunteers. So, I am going to make the time, and I am going to sign up. And then I'm going to give thanks that I'm still around to do it.
