Do you know "The Secret"?

I have heard about "The Secret" for about a week or so now.

Just today, I was talking to YC about The Secret (because she mentioned that she read from Val's blog that Val believes it), and I was suddenly seized with the urge to read the book, just to find out what is the furor that has taken America by storm. I suppose it was also because I'm just being the nerd that I am.

I downloaded a copy of the book from some website, and started reading... for 10 minutes. It is a huge, steaming pile of rotting faeces. I'm not saying it because it's some new age bullshit crap. Wait a minute, it IS because it's some new age bullshit crap. Here's a sample of the sort of brain-rot she feeds her readers.

"Thoughts are magnetic, and thoughts have a frequency. As you think, those thoughts are sent out into the Universe, and they magnetically attract all like things that are on the same frequency. Everything sent out returns to the source. And that source is You."

"The predominant thought or the mental attitude is the magnet, and the law is that "like attracts like", consequently the mental attitude will invariably attract such conditions as correspond to its nature."

So based on that premise, if I want to be a trader, I just have to visualize myself a trader? If I want a Volvo C70, I just need to walk into a dealership and imagine that I'm insanely rich? Then the world will be full of quadrillionaires (especially in America, where they have more than their fair share of morons who subscribe to this baloney) and there will be massive inflation. Or maybe there won't be inflation because people don't have to buy stuff, they can just wish it into
being.

What happens when different people wish opposite outcomes of the same thing? For example, MidEast terrorist wish to blow Americans to kingdom come, and Americans want to rule the world. And beauty queens want world peace. What happens then?

Not only does this pose an intellectual quagmire to those of us who have trouble visualizing this whole hog-vomit, it smells suspiciously like an unfortunate blend of motivation-speak, new ageism, rat entrails, 2-month old leftover food and the like.

And the best thing is, if this doesn't work, she blames it on you, you poor excuse for hamster dropping.

"When you are trying to work out how it will happen, you are emitting a frequency that contains a lack of faith.... The how is not your part in the Creative Process."

You know what is the one thing that Rhonda Byrnes knows that perhaps much of America doesn't? That Americans (not to mention Val) are stupid enough and gullible enough to swallow her swill.

Verdict: This book is colossally stupid. Don't waste your time. I didn't.