Lucky/Unlucky

[lagilman]

M and I were discussing The Secret a few weeks ago (no, not the secret writer's handshake, the New Age self-help phenom) and I highlighted what my objection to it, and all its predecessors was: it's making something mystical out of common sense.

For those of you who have managed to avoid the media blitz, The Secret (essentially) tells you to visualize what you want, and with the intensity of that visualization you will coax the universe into providing/bringing it to you.

Well, yes. But also no.

In my opinion? Success isn't something arcane, or handed down by a random god. It's about being ready to see when the right combination of opportunity comes around. And by ready I mean knowing what you're looking for, having your shoes laced, and being willing to jump when it comes by. Most people can't manage even one, much less all three, and then they gripe about their shit luck or bad timing.

Now, if the right combination doesn't come along, then yeah, you're screwed. But the thing I've noticed over the years? The thing The Secret already knows, and is wrappping up in packaging and a price tag? The right combinations are waiting for you to get your shit together: to work hard, think smart, and be ready to move on them. When you are? They show up.

That's luck for ya.

(and yes, I know that not every leaper lands successfully. I'm not meanig to sound callous or uncaring to those who jumped and only broke their nose/necks/egos. But that's the thing about being prepared - it means you know the risks, too. Check out the bio of almost any major success story, and see how often "and then we rebuilt/restarted/refinanced/etc" is said).

In less philosophical news, the cats let me sleep in until almost seven this morning (and by 'let' I mean that's how long I was able to ignore them sitting on either side of me, watching for some sign of awakey-ness). I am now showered, fed, and caffinated, and ready having no option but to go back to work.

(although I suppose I could dust.... or rearrange my closets. Or wax the cats....)

Comments

[bevhale.livejournal.com]

Wax the cats. Of course, the time spent in the emergency room afterwards might cut into your writing time, so maybe not.

[lagilman]

Actually, the cats seem determined to wax me. Or at least teach me proper grooming methods. Either that or Boomer doesn't like the color I chose for my manicure, and is determined to lick it off...

[bevhale.livejournal.com]

My Shadow was like that. She had a tongue that could flay flesh and she decided none of us (people, dogs, etc) were up to her standards. She cleaned all of us religiously. I always felt like I was going to be bloody by the time she finished.

My chaos dog, Zoe, likes to change our landscaping- she uproots or eats things she doesn't like. I think she's trying to dig a pond or swimming pool right now. sigh.

[music-lover3.livejournal.com]

either that or he thinks it tastes good. :P

[nick-kaufmann.livejournal.com]

Oh, The Secret is far, far worse than that. One of the things it stipulates is that no foods actually make you fat. You get fat because you think the cupcakes or whatever are going to make you fat. So the book suggests - and I'm not even joking - that you avoid fat people altogether so as not to internalize the idea of fatness!

[neadods.livejournal.com]

See my comment below. It's beyond the power of positive thinking and into name-it-and-claim-it magic powers and blame-the-victim policies.

[lagilman]

The book advocates a straight(jacket) and too-narrow mindset that, well, freaks me out a little, which is why I stopped reading quite quickly, even though M. said that there was some interesting stuff in there.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

For those of you who have managed to avoid the media blitz, The Secret (essentially) tells you to visualize what you want, and with the intensity of that visualization you will coax the universe into providing/bringing it to you.

As I understand it, the dark underbelly of that is that if you DON'T get what you visualize, it's your fault for either not having enough faith or by attracting the bad things. That's a particularly ugly form of blame-the-victim.

[lagilman]

Yeah, "you're not working hard enough" is a bad enough thing to say when it can be measured and verified (ditch-digging, for example, or word count). Saying someone's imagination isn't working hard enough is, IMO the mark of a bad teacher.

[deire.livejournal.com]

Oh, it can get better than that. I had someone once tell me that I only had allergies because I hadn't worked on my mother issues, because those are the source of allergies. So my physical health problem was proof of a personality flaw, and once I changed that flaw I would be healthy.

[hilleviw.livejournal.com]

Now see, my favorite proverb has always been "Fortune favors the prepared mind". If you can't recognize the opportunity until it is gone, then yes your timing is bad...and will always be bad. It's like the tale about the man in a flood who turns away the life raft, the boat and the helicopter, saying "God will save me." Then when he drowns, he's mad at God, who says "but I sent a raft, a boat, and a helicopter, what else could I do?"

And as your other readers have observed, The Secret is far more invidious than you suggest it is, although, yes, it's plain that you're not endorsing it. According to the secret, if you die from cancer it's your fault for not having enough willpower to will yourself healthy. If you develop MS that's a symptom of sloppy imagination. Have CP? You obviously don't really want to be healthy. It is, to my mind, actually an evil set of ideas to promulgate.

[lagilman]

Oh, my intention wasn't to give a crit of the book, just to pick apart its basic 'be shiny!" premise. Doing a crit would have required that I be willing to read the entire thing, rather than skimming it in disgust...

[kalligraphy.livejournal.com]

I vote for waxing the cats, maybe then they will get the hint that they should let you sleep. :)

[deire.livejournal.com]

Also, waxing doesn't have to be thorough. It could involve sticking masking tape on one and letting them spring away in disgust to try to get rid of the thing.

I am possibly putting way too much thought into this....