The Secret: The Fad Diet of Spirituality

The Secret. I can't put it down; how could I? One of the best things about the book is its position that we are all responsible for our own actions. In a world where people constantly point towards outside elements as the cause for their pain, I think this message is vital. I am a strong believer against many psychiatric medicines, for example. I understand their usefulness; I wouldn't say to get rid of them altogether. However, I think they are prescribed too loosely, and should only be a means to an end. They should never be a permanent band-aid. Ultimately, we should have no permanent band-aids at all.

The marketing for the film is just outstanding; it goes to show what viral marketing can really do in this day and age. The trailer is just fantastic; the movie, eh, I liked What the Bleep better, but this one is more inspirational and less informational than that, and than many other processes. What bothers me is its overarching sleaziness that penetrates the book at every moment, even in the most generous and enlightened phrases. The problem with the book is that it markets to anyone and everyone who wants things for nothing. Who is that? Everyone. It's me, it's you, it's my Aunt Jeanne, it's my cousin Clem in Alabama singing on his banjo in the trailer park. Everyone wants something for nothing. Free money. Free men/women. Free home. Free vacation. And notice most of these things are bought with money. Money plays the biggest role of "wants" in this book. The authors say that we are meant to have abundance, and that is probably true; however, if you search that above all other things, you are not a follower, or a true follower, of what The Secret is trying to communicate.

Basically, the movie and book market to people who think "I want/need money" and try to then convert them into "I only want happiness." I don't know if it works that way. The messages in the book weigh heavily on the side of materialism and less on actual happiness and a sense of peace. Granted, the book tells you things like: "it's important to give;" "it's important to love;" "happiness starts within." These are things that great spiritual leaders have told us from the beginning of time. The Secret uses them, however, as a catalyst to get what you want rather than mentioning them as necessary ingredients. Byrne often uses little catch phrases like "turbo-charge" to mention these processes as though you were talking about a workout.

The sleaziness comes in because the solutions are often too simple and underthought, and also because the people interviewed in the book brag about themselves to prove that The Secret works. Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the <Shitty> Soul (okay, there's no "shitty" in there, I just think the books are kind of lachrymose), mentions how once he started using The Secret, his life turned around, and now he has a 4-million dollar mansion, a wife to die for, and takes vacations to all the best spots around the world. I'm sorry, but do we really need to know how much your house cost? I think if you say "mansion," which is bad enough, we get the point. I'm not saying he can't be a wonderful person or a great speaker because of this, but he and the book play the reader by giving a fast solution to their problem. It's my belief that while spiritual awakening can bring you wealth, it only does so because you don't feel the need for it, or the need to brag about it. But of course if Jack Canfield said that now he feels unbounded happiness and he doesn't care about the want or need for money anymore, the reader would not relate to him and would put the book down.

The other point of sleaziness is that, as I say above, the solutions are too simple. Most of it is an overview, which is a great source of inspiration for the reader, but doesn't offer much in the way of guidance. Most of these books organize things: the x amount of emotional states, the x steps to financial freedom, the x habits of effective people, etc. The only formula used is "How to Use the Secret." Step one: ask. Okay, makes sense, "ask and you shall receive," sure. Step two: believe. Okay, so believe it's coming for you, don't second guess it. Step three: receive. And the book actually says this: "believe that you have received." So...isn't that step two? It could quite easily be two aspects of one thing, but in believing, you're believing you're receiving what you asked for, and in receiving, you are automatically believing in this process and that what you've asked is true. So...huh?

One major aspect I think she either forgot to mention or completely overlooked is the concept of detachment. I think if you truly do the erroneous process, and believe, then that touches on detachment because if you believe you are going to get something, usually you let the wanting go. For instance, if you order a book online, you may check the mail to see if it came, but usually you let it go because you know it will come, or that Amazon needs to answer to you. However, I think that letting go is a huge major component of manifesting what you want. When I think back on times when I've really tried to manifest, the manifestation always came when I had forgotten my own wanting. In other words, the phone will never ring if you stare at it all day.

This concept of detachment is in many other books, and I know it plays a huge role in Eastern religions, but I am definitely no expert in those beyond what popular culture has taught me. Well, a little bit more than that, but not much. One book I compare to, contrast to, and compliment with The Secret is The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra. I really need to write a whole review on that book, but he talks about manifestation within the context of much more important things: detachment, giving, awareness, and one's life purpose. You cannot just selfishly manifest money into your life, and you must always work to find your life's purpose in serving the world. Serve others, and you can have the life of your dreams. That seems more accurate.

However, I like The Secret. "What???!!!?" you say, eyes wide open, mouth aghast. Yes, I do. It's a great source of inspiration when I need it, and if you know where to find them, it has wonderful nuggets of information. The sleaziness of it has a good purpose, too: to get the word out. There is a strange paradox with spirituality these days that says a certain method is only good if it is obscure and not in the public eye. If too many people followed The Secret correctly, I'm sure many would denounce it for being "mainstream," "simplified," and "hype." But isn't it a good thing to get as many people on the right track as possible? Is there any way to do it other than marketing? I don't think so. For instance, back in the day, I used to do a new fad diet every month. I followed and really enjoyed the South Beach diet. My mother was denouncing it once and I let her know that while it was marketed towards people who wanted to be skinny, it actually taught you how to eat whole foods, i.e., to eat healthily. She had never thought of it that way.

So is The Secret the fad diet of spirituality? I think so. I recommend it, but not without picking up some other books in the Spirituality/Self-Help section as well.