What is with all of this New Age positive thinking stuff? I thought that science, psychology and time tested and traditional practices such as Zen had the final word on this. It does not work in and of itself!
I’m not saying that having a positive attitude is not useful or healthy, I am saying that sometimes you have to put something behind that attitude. You can’t, as Dr. Kevin Hogan once said, think of God as a slot machine. You can’t just wish upon a star and let it go from there.
Seems like the world was hip to this, that the cure for New Ager’s Disease was in sight.
Then the movie “The Secret” came out and a whole new, more powerful strain of New Ager’s disease struck and struck big.
The world is now going to hell in a hand basket full of crystals, singing bowls and wishful thinking! The Devil is stoked. He’s saying, “Ha ha ha these mother@#$kers (he’s the devil and he swears a lot) are making it really easy for me!”
You have to acknowledge both sides of the coin in life. If there is heads, there is tales. If there is light there is darkness. The relative world is dualistic and the sooner people understand this, really understand this they we will be much better off.
There is room for everything and if you decide anger, doubt or anything else you perceive as negative or bad are not acceptible you are going to repress these things and before you know it they will begin to creep back in but in more covert and confusing ways.
If you thought those undesirable emotions, thoughts and feelings were an inconvenience before, wait until you force them to go underground!
So now you’ve disowned anger. Now what? Well, you will see it everywhere. It will come out of the woodwork and you will feel rightously indignant. You will say with disgust (which is your covert anger), “Everybody is so damned angry. What’s with these people? They’re so messed up!”
You can’t disown your thoughts, your feelings or your emotions! You can’t disown yourself!
Doing so will lead to much suffering, drama and mischief in your life.
People, it is okay to get angry and want to fuck something up. It is okay to not like your noisy neighbor’s blaring music. It is okay to be human.
Standing in front of the mirror and saying, “Every day and in every way I’m getting better and better,” is not going to stop you from being a creep, boost your sales at work or make your happiness level rise.
I’m sorry, I know that I am supposed to be a laid back, compassionate guy but to not say something and let everyone believe this bullshit is what the late Buddhist teacher/scholar Chogyam Trungpa called, “IDIOT COMPASSION!”
That is what do-gooders do. Let’s save the world because it is the right thing to do!
When you are truly compassionate, your good works are an extension of what and who you are and happen with little thought or effort. There is no feeling bad for the poor or sick, there is just doing what needs to be done to help. There is understanding and there is action.
Anyway, I am digressing and want to save “idiot compassion” for another post.
People, I love you. And my compassion and the anger that I am skilfully choosing to allow in this moment says:
“You are beautiful and capable of doing great things or better yet, small things with great love in this life. Now stop with the fluffy, easy way out bullshit. It is not the easy way out. It is a trap! Get the fuck (yes, I said fuck) out from in front of that mirror and take some action to take action. Inform yourself, empower yourself, believe in your abilities, get some help if you need it and make yourself “better and better in every way!”
Let’s band together and fight this horrible disease called New Ager’s Disease!
I have a cure…it is a compassionate cure… it is a simple four word cure:
WAKE the f$#K UP!
End of transmission.
Until next time…
Kind Regards,
A
Cindy
Lisa McLellan
Anthony
Darryl Pace
Keri Eagan
Vegas Boomer Dating Expert
Vicki
Michael D Walker
Peggy Larson
Wow! That was such a healthy expression of anger! You crack me up! This is so true. People don’t want change. They want to want change (or something like that. Its late and I’m tired). I think you know what I mean. Powerful and funny. Genius title, by the way!
Joseph
“New Agers Disease” I LOVE it. Indeed, positive thinking must be coupled and married with wonderful ACTION.
In Zen practice is there not also Movement? exactly. That is ACTION.
Best regards,
April Braswell
Single Boomer Dating Expert, Relationship Success Coach
Widow Support and Bereavement Counseling Outreach Workshop Henderson, NV, Nevada, Las Vegas
Anthony,
As I stated in a reply to another post, “faith without works is dead”. Without action nothing happens.
Health, Fitness — Darryl Pace
Fitness Product Review
Compassion can be good, but all compassion has unintended consequences. Welfare policy creates dependence and destroys lives just as effectively as drugs do in many cases.
The Secret is a crock and those responsible (who got rich) should be shunned.
Seize the Day,
Rob
Sales Expert For Small Business Owners
Personal Asset Protection For Small Business Owners
THe popularity of the movie, “The Secret” and all such things new age is that is promises great rewards with little effort. Like magic we can get everything we want.
As for compassion, everything has consequences, including compassion. Too many people think compassion means removing all the struggle from people’s lives, forgeting that it is that struggle that toughens us and makes us stronger. (Apologies to Nietzsche.)
I am looking forward to your explanation of “Idiot Compassion.” It seems we might have an epidemic of that going on.
Steve Chambers, The Sales Expert
The Sales Eagle Solution – 12 months to dominate your market
I love a good rant. And this is a fantastic rant Anthony.
This line made me laugh out loud:
“Standing in front of the mirror and saying, “Every day and in every way I’m getting better and better,” is not going to stop you from being a creep”
Hilarious.
New age thinking is very appealing because it tells us that we can have great things without putting it much work.
It tells us that we are powerful and that we are loved – which are constructive beliefs, but also tells us that we are totally powerless to our thought and beliefs, which is a total f&%cker if you’re born disabled, a victim of abuse, starving etc…
I’ve had clients say “my life is full of shit and I know it’s all my fault because I know about the law of attraction.”
Worse still… there are coaches who will make their clients believe that everything is their fault/responsibility as a starting point to accept the law of attraction into their lives. These people should not be coaching anyone. Actually they shouldn’t be talking to anyone…
Which is apt because people who believe in this will rarely engage in constructive debate about it.
I was speaking to a “law of attraction coach” the other day and I spelled out some of these beliefs. She said that she’s a believer but she doesn’t want to debate or argue about her beliefs because she “doesn’t need that kind of negativity in her mind”.
This total lack of critical thinking makes me mad! People treat it as if it’s a religion, and totally beyond reproach. You can debate something and not get negative. I dislike negativity as much as the next personal development freak and I can easily debate a topic without getting negative about the world.
I think people desperately want to believe the secret, and don’t want to analyze it critically in case it falls to pieces.
On a more crude final note… all awkward porn-addicted teenagers understand that visualization alone does not get them what they want!
JJ Jalopy.
Coaching Mentoring Expert JJ Jalopy
Anthony,
I thought the “New Age Thinking” was referring to 1970′s stuff.
Ok, we now have another wave of New Age “Thinkers” & “Gurus” to deal with.
As to profanity expressed, it does not disturb me personally. But I am pretty accommodating person.
One thing stands out though: you said it’s due to lack of sleep. Last time I did Kevin’s IMC, my lack of sleep at least contributed to 2 of my speeding & right hand turn traffic light violation. They costed me demerit points as well as hefty fines.
Worse is that I dozed off for few microseconds intermittently WHILE driving! So I slowed myself down in activities to protect my life.
So be vigilant.
John Ho
Numerology Expert Helps Understanding Personality for Better Influence & Persuasion (WordPress Blog)
Numerology Expert Daily Numeroscope (Vox Blog)
Numerology Expert Helps Understanding Personality for Better Influence & Persuasion (Money Page)
You are on the money with that my friend. Seems as if most people want to hear nice happy things and the like. I understand that people don’t want to struggle, but from experience I know that there is no value in having anything handed to you. Especially happiness. It would be “idiot happiness”, as you have written before, and empty of anything of substance or that stands the test of time. I work with people as a coach and have to beat this into their heads. They want me to tell them special “secret” to make them happy and successful but don’t want to put in the work.
David
http://www.davidwygant.com
Hi John, I did not write it that way because I was tired, I meant that when I woke up all bright eyed and bushy-tailed, it read differently. You definitely make a good point about sleep however!
Yes sir ri sir! So that is why it did not rain beautiful naked women when I was 15! Answer this, Mr. World Dominator…is that why it does not rain beautiful naked money right now!
Oops! I said beautiful naked money! Haha!
Anthony
Next time please don’t sugar coat your message say what you really mean. My next several days of blogs should be very complimentary to what you are saying and doing. Let’s compare notes after this is all said and done.
Bob Kaufer
Sign Up For My Free Neuro Performance and Health℠ E-Course
Anthony,
My mantra is “A life without action is a life without purpose.” I think it’s fine to want to be positive most of the time. I’m very positive in a time in my life I have much to be negative about.
My wife had people tell her when she got cancer that it may be her fault, that makes me MAD. People gave her the book and the DVD of the secret. That really shook her emotions for a little bit.
That thought lead to my last post about success and faith, give it a look.
Lynn Lane
Success Strategies For Life
Success Today
Wow, this is full of energy! I agree with your take on “The Secret” – and with your “cure” – though I would probably word it slighlty differently
All the best,
Yann
Best Online Marketing & Business Strategies for Persistent Beginners – ProfitsTactics.coms
Hi Yann. You’re back. What happened? We all missed you! Yes I was feeling a bit rowdy when I wrote that.
The others have said it all. Essentially positive thinking without positive action is not much at all.
Christian Haller
Good Food Fast & Easy
Healthy Italian Recipes
Wow – this was quite a thought-provoking post Anthony! Couldn’t agree with you more about the raging “New Ager’s Disease” (great phrase!) being stoked by The Secret. What a horrible bill of goods is being sold to people who float from new idea to new idea trying to make meaning in their lives. So sad!
Pam
Invest in Your Future
Hi Anthony,
Darn it!!! So all those nights visualizing Jessica Alba have been wasted!! Nooooooo!!
The secret is a crook of huey and anthing that states that you can have all you want ‘just’ by thinking about it! Geez you better make sure your wallet is still in your pocket!
Great rant!
Duane
Super-ADVANCED Persuasion Techniques & Influence Training Proven to Quickly Create a Flood of Money Constantly & Continuously Flowing into YOUR Bank Account Like the Niagara Falls… 100% GUARANTEED!!
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All this new age thinking is a bunch of crap that is leading this nation into a welfare state. Having lived on welfare as a kid i can tell you this is the kind of thinking that is crippling. people sitting around waiting for something good to happen to them. the something for nothing mentality is for losers.
Don Shepherd
Central Oregon Camphiker
Don’t sugar coat it , what do you really think??
Seriously, I think you’re on the money-The Secret completely bypassed the ACTION part of the formula and that’s the most important step
Well said!!
JC
JCMACKENZIE.COM
Making money-reviews
Hmmmm, well now, that was…..interesting. Glad I wasn’t near ground zero when the F-bomb hit! Lol, I do have to say that I agree. I just saw that movie “Idiocracy” last night and I do believe that that’s where “New Ager’s Disease” is leading us! You’re a feisty one huh?
All the best,
Lisa McLellan, Babysitting Services – Babysitters, Nannies, and Au-pairs
Seem pretty passionate about this topic. It’s also nice to know that it’s okay to let go, get mad, but to take action. I’m sure I felt the ground quiver, could have been those bombs!
This really works for me. I feel the same way as most of the other commentors. It’s all useless without action.
Dev
Anthony, you got the point perfectly. I’m looking forward to your post about “idiot compassion”, which is actually another sign of “New Ager’s Disease”.