Tuesday, May 8, 2007

The Secret

I despise motivational types like Tony Robbins or Deepak Chopra and that whole industry. The latest bullshit to come from this sector is a bestseller called The Secret which basically states that the universe will give you whatever you want according to what is known as the Law of Attraction. Oprah Winfrey is a believer in this shit.

This book (and DVD) is probably the most repugnant shit I've ever heard of from these self-help/motivational types. In other words, if you are a failure in life or have cancer or have a miscarriage or what have you, it is your own damn fault because you think the wrong way. Meanwhile, the successful people (like Oprah) think the right way which is why they are successful (and deserve it!)

In case you are stupid, let me set something straight for you. The universe doesn't give a damn about you. It has no thoughts or feelings or anything else. (And BTW, Oprah Winfrey is a stupid cunt.)

Here's the lowdown on success. People like Oprah Winfrey or Bill Gates are successful largely through sheer dumb luck. People like them are not especially talented or smart or anything else. The reason they made it is because they were lucky enough to have something that the fickle public was willing to pay for. That's it.

I give athletes and musicians a little more credit because the things they do require some measure of skill. But consider Kurt Cobain who was a lousy guitar player, a lousy singer, a high school dropout, and a dope fiend. The man became rich and famous because of a catchy riff he came up with in a song called "Smells Like Teen Spirit." The rest is history. In addition, the man was such a negative thinker that he ended up blowing his own head off with a shotgun in a fit of depression. His life story pretty much puts the lie to The Secret.

My whole view of success is like this. The purpose of life is to be happy. If you are happy, then you are successful. You have achieved your purpose in life.

For a lot of people, money becomes a substitute for happiness. Don't get me wrong. I'm as greedy as the next guy. Money enables me to do things I otherwise couldn't do if I was flat broke. Money is the means to the end. It is not the end in itself. Even if all you want to do is surf all day, you still need money for a board and to continue eating.

I despise that scam known as the Law of Attraction, and I must admit that I also despise successful people like Oprah and others who believe that they are somehow superior to the rest of us "negative" thinkers. These narcissists are so full of themselves that they don't realize how much luck played a part in why they got to where they are. In Oprah's case, she appealled to a bunch of ignorant ass housewives who are nothing more than willing dupes in All Things Oprah. I doubt she planned any of it, but people like her are prone to revisionist thinking where they come out as the winner in some epic struggle. Please. . .

I don't go around thinking that I'm better than other people. The fact is that the reason I enjoy the modest material things I have now is because I was lucky enough to be born in America. If I had been born in Haiti, I'd be dirt poor like everyone else. And if you dropped me off in Haiti right now, I would spend all my efforts in trying to get to America because I know I'd never make it there.

I don't know what it is about rich and famous people that makes them become such babbling idiots. You've got Madonna with her Kabbalah Jewish mysticism bullshit. You've got Tom Cruise with Scientology. You've got Russell Simmons with his Zen yoga vegetarian bullshit. It amazes me how such fools ever got to where they are. But trust me, folks. It is all bullshit.

If you want to be successful in life, I recommend making a list of things you'd like to do in your life and simply work at doing those things. What you will find is that the pursuit of those goals brings more satisfaction than the goals themselves. Happiness flows from a life of purposeful activity.

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