In her book The Secret, Rhoda Byrn and her team of contributors did a brilliant job of pulling together fragments of the great law that has been tucked away in oral traditions, literature, and in religions and philosophies throughout the ages. They give us a life transforming glance at this ancient truth. This book is based on the law of attraction.
This is based on the premise that anything or anyone who comes to you does so as a consequence of thinking (Byrne). Essentially, this book has been considered to be popular to such an extent that it has gained a cult like following. This book begins with introducing and explaining the different mechanisms in which or through which the law of attraction can be applied.
This is made relevant through the historical analysis in which it takes the reader through. Through the introduction, the reader gets the notion that the law of attraction is a powerful magnetic force which works in life. This is based on the premise that thoughts are live power transmitters which send signals to the universe and receives responses based on the type of transmissions that one sends.
It is worth noting that there are several aspects of this book which are worth pointing out. First, the book is based on the premise that what we have and what we focus our strength on becomes tangible. Secondly, when you ask for what you want, you will certainly receive it. This implies that one should create their day before it comes in order to ensure that their day will be fulfilled in accordance to their expectations.
Thirdly, there is the aspect of visualizing of what you want to be realized (Byrne). This is based on the premise that when one focuses on what he/she wants, then chances are rather high that he/she will get it. The fourth premise of this book is the principle of giving and gaining. That is, when you give more, then you will receive more. When you want money, focus on wealth creation.
The fifth premise is based on the fact that self care should come before one begins to take care of others. There is a need to take care of yourself first so that you have something to offer. The sixth premise is based on the fact that diseases in the body are results of human thoughts.
The seventh premise says: when one is afraid of something or tries to resist something, he/she simply attracts the undesirable events to his/her life simply because one is focused on them emotionally. And lastly, the only thing that is important for us is to feel good at all times and especially now.
There are certain aspects which are good. For instance, when one focuses on a positive attitude, the good thinks are likely to happen to the person. In the contrary, when focusing on bad things, we attract them with a great forth.
This is because one does or should not expect good things to happen to them when they are feeling bad. The other aspect which is good is based on the fact that getting people to develop a long plan is a step in the right direction.
There are aspects which can be rated as not so good, for instance, the fact that positive attitude and positive thinking are fundamental aspects which are essential for success. This book tends to mislead the readers that when you focus on positive thinking and meditating on the positive things then you are bound to progress.
It is worth noting that focusing on positive thinking is not enough. This is because it brings to the fore the fact that action is fundamental to back up great plans and visions.
This book has however caused some controversy in the scholarly world. For instance, there is a school of thoughts among people who hold the belief that there is a major conflict with the religious views, especially among the Christian arm. In addition, there are others who feel that it tackles issues of life within a contemporary and complementary approach.
This book pays much attention to how to use the law of attraction in order to gain the material things which are expensive, for instance, a car.
There’s also been criticism of the idea that we create our own difficult circumstances in life; the obvious examples of children born into abuse or millions of people born into extreme poverty don’t seem to fit well with that explanation of reality. The Law of Attraction itself can be controversial, as it’s not a scientifically proven ‘law’, but more of an anecdotally observed phenomenon.
The main point which I can call to is the point of concern with this law that was clearly presented in this book: people may mistake themselves with the premise that they are the ones who creates their reality and, at the same time, blame themselves for things that they could not achieve and control. These are such activities as some accidents or natural disasters (Byrne). This can have a major impact on how people view their lives.
Thus, this law can be accredited for many positive things which it can be associated with, however there are some aspects in which it cannot be accredited with, especially in cases where there is negativity.
It is worth noting that challenges are good and living with them helps one to be able to reach out to the wider world. However, it does not help one to complain and blame themselves over aspects of their lives which they could not or cannot be able to change.
The bottom life of this book is that there are principles which are necessary for one to be able to match the challenges of life. Furthermore, it has got principles which many people can use to deal with the stresses of life. This is because one will be able to attain a higher level of internal locus of control, gain more positive attitude towards life and clarify of one’s goals.
This is important as one works through the challenges of life to create a life plan. It is worth noting that life is based on what one is able to become.
This is not just based on what one seriously meditates upon, but rather, it is based on what one gets out and actualizes through actions. Planning is the essence when it comes to the pursuit of excellence. It is true that visualization is important, however, action is equally important in these pursuits.
In conclusion, I would recommend this book to any reader however, I would do so based on several aspects. These aspects include the point that The Secret does not shed light on the real secrets of life. Essentially, this leads to the conclusion that it completely misses three points which are critical in nature.
First and foremost, it is worth noting that it requires high levels of discipline so that someone can be able to control their consciousness and then direct one’s personal reality. Secondly, life is not all about getting the things we want, we are here for a divine purpose and reason in this life.
This is based on the fact we are here to learn and, at times, we are likely to learn the hard way in a manner that one cannot equate to progressive or pleasurable. Lastly, some of the greatest people whose history has branded as great and who are associated with great works of genius lived a life which can be regarded as hardship and want.
Based on their lives, it is quite clear that none of them sat somewhere attracting power, they simply made the most of the opportunities which they had and went out and worked, thus they managed to become who they are today, that is, icons of history.
It is on this basis that one should view some of the premises which have been lauded within the book. That is, one should strive to be the better regardless of the circumstances, rather, their life should be based on the direction which God has called us to walk in.
Works Cited
Byrne, Rhonda. The secret. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2006.