Lindsay MeckThe Daily Northwestern
Touted by Oprah, observed by Plato and Leonardo and ranked No. 2 on Amazon.com, Rhonda Byrne’s “The Secret” self-help guide has revealed itself to audiences around the world proclaiming “A new era for humankind.” But can the three-step message of this pop philosophy, ask, believe, receive, improve the lives of Northwestern students?
The first step is to ask. “The Secret” endorses the law of attraction, where thoughts become signals like Facebook pokes to the universe. By channeling positive and negative thoughts, followers gain administrator privileges to their destinies. If you think something bad will happen to you, it will.
But even without spending 30 bucks for “The Secret” DVD, an extended infomercial with quack practitioners and music inspired by “The Da Vinci Code,” you can put these principles into action. If you imagine the NU shuttle won’t come, you have willed it from existence. Instead, believe the bus will appear, and it will arrive. But “The Secret” warns there is a time delay on wishes. The bus may not come today, but perhaps in a week. But when it does pull up on Dillo weekend, you will know that you have made it happen thanks to positive thinking.
In order to change your circumstances, “The Secret” instructs you to alter your focus. Rather than expecting the worst – oversleeping a final or missing Allison hot cookie bar – concentrate on step two: believe. When you want what you truly want, the universe and possibly the gods of Sodexho will rearrange themselves to make it possible.
While I, like millions of Americans, consider Oprah’s recommendations on everything from novels to jersey sheets to be the gospel, I am skeptical about “The Secret.” There is something problematic about expecting great things to happen to you because you dreamed them up. On the flip side, blaming imperfect thoughts for humanity’s ills such as disease, massacres and natural disasters is not only heavy-handed but also insensitive.
“The Secret” is illusive because it fails to identify a plan of action. As NU students, we appreciate the necessity of hard work and goal setting. We invest time and money into our educations, anticipating positive returns. Rather than counting on an A on our economics midterm, we study and prepare. And still do badly, because some conscientious math major threw off the curve.
While I appreciate the optimism of the “The Secret,” I can’t help but be cynical. The viral marketing campaigns and rumors of reality television spin-offs suggest someone else’s positive thoughts are turning into mega bucks. The video itself, with elephants appearing in living rooms and magical genies summoned from lamps, is too outlandish to be taken seriously.
“The Secret” preaches that just because you don’t understand something, doesn’t mean you should reject it. But for a critical thinker, there aren’t easy answers. We don’t wait for the shuttle; we walk.
While I appreciate optimism of the “The Secret,” I can’t help but be cynical.
