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Geek Culture / The Law of Attraction?

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Matt Rock
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 01:10
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No, this isn't another dating thread...

A while ago I saw a movie called "The Secret." According to this movie, you can have whatever you want by thinking about it and "asking the universe to bring it to you." It claims that whatever you think about is attracted to you through "The Law of Attraction." In other words, if you spend all day worrying about bills, you'll end up getting bills. If you spend all day dreaming about driving a Ferrari, you'll get to drive one (or own one). It details how this system works... you need to get a serious desire for something, then officially decide that you want it, then "ask for it," (IE, ask god or the universe or whatever), and if you remain positive about it and keep telling yourself it's possible, the thing you want will "be brought to you."

I for one am extremely skeptical. Maybe I don't quite understand how this works, but apparently I've been doing this my entire life, long before the movie was released, and with seemingly poor results. I can seriously see myself as a millionaire, driving one of my various dream cars to an awesome game development campus that I'm an owner of, not an employee of. I plan on every game I'm a part of selling hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of copies. Not just lackluster daydreams of what could be, but serious, intentional visions of what should be and will be. And I've worked my tail off to achieve these goals, another step the film claims you need to carry out. But nope, no dice. My girlfriend and I are only mildly financially secure... I'd call it stable, but certainly not even remotely well-off. My studio has only released three games, not counting private contract stuff. I don't drive a MINI Cooper S, or a Mazda 6, or an Aston Martin Vanquish, or a Lotus Elise, or a Ferrari F430... just a little gold Mazda Protege. I don't have an awesome house, but rather a crummy apartment in a crummy neighborhood with loud, obnoxious neighbors who scream at their kids for interupting their stupid daytime TV shows. So either (A) I've been doing it all wrong with dreaming about the future and trying to chase those dreams, or (B) "The Secret" is that people are paying money for a DVD that doesn't actually bring anything to anyone.

But still, a part of me wonders if there's anything to the law of attraction whatsoever. Have any of you tried to use it, or know someone who has? Is their any scientific relevance to the movie's claims? Does anyone on TGC think their might be something to this law of attraction stuff? I'm guessing the answers are "no," "hell no," and "HAH!"... but asking doesn't hurt .


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DrewG
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 01:16
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Hahaha, funny you mention this, I post on the Navyseals.com forum, and the secret came up as well, anyway, I heard it doesn't work, but does, so I don't know.

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bitJericho
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 01:21
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Well, if you keep yourself down and not dream of those things, then they most definitely won't happen!

It's like the joke about god and the lotto ticket. A blond prayed to God about winning the lotto and he replied saying he would grant her prayer. But she never won, not once. So finally some time later she screams at God why she's never won, and he says "You gotta buy a lotto ticket if you want to win!"


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tha_rami
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 01:25
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Perfect quote, jerico2day .


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KYP
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 01:35
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Yes.

"The Secret" is a bunch of retardarope. In real life, opposites are attracted, so why should this be different for the Secretians? What does string theory have to do with this, and why do they bring it up? Probably because most people (including me) don't know much about it, so they'll believe anything they're told. Whoever originally wrote "The Secret" was just in it for the money.

The Law of Attraction isn't a science, it's a marketing strategy.


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DrewG
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 01:48
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BTW - I think a realistic goal would work better. Like just a car, instead of a car/money/college ownership/etc. y'know what I mean?

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Dave J
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 02:29
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The reason that people fall into believing this 'works' is because they're the type that think wishfully "It'd be nice to have such and such" and do nothing about it. However, after watching the video or reading the book or whatever, they're told to "think about it", "focus on it" and "work towards it", then when it happens, they think 'The Secret' has worked - however, really, all they had to do was take that extra step of working towards it for it to happen in the first place.

I have a gullible friend who believes in it and his example was this, he really wanted a new motorbike (a specific one, can't remember which), so he did all the steps, went around to a bunch of shops, saw one on sale and took this as a 'sign' so he went and bought it and now believes that the system works. When in reality, all he had to do was do some research and find the bike on sale in the first place, regardless of all the attraction rubbish that they claim is going on.

Of course, this is only going to work for realistically achievable goals, and as soon as someone starts using the secret to become 'President' or whatever, they'll soon realise it's not going to happen and that the secret is, that there is no secret!


"Computers are useless, they can only give you answers."
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DrewG
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 04:10 Edited at: 1st Dec 2007 04:10
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Some guy called Buddah said what you think what you become. I don't believe all that, nor the religion, but that's what some people on this forum believe.


NO FLAMES PLEASE. I WASN'T ATTEMPTING TO OFFEND!

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bitJericho
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 04:36 Edited at: 1st Dec 2007 04:37
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My point exactly, you can't become what you don't think to become.

Of course, once you think it, you gotta work to do it Like your friend who went out looking for sales.


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Agent Dink
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 05:17
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It's just a matter of convincing yourself it's going to happen. Then, you work towards that goal, maybe even without realizing it. Chances are (depending on how realistic the goal is) it will eventually happen.

MISoft Studios - Silver-Dawn

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tha_rami
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 06:03
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I want to have a carrot, I want to have a carrot, I want to have a carrot...



Woot!


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Kevin Picone
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 06:27 Edited at: 1st Dec 2007 06:43
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The only people getting rich from the secret were the producers.


Edit.

It's had a lot of bad press here in Australia.

ie.

WHO IS THE TRUE AUTHOR OF THE SECRET???

She's got a secret

Plus then there's the endless ping pong match between ACA and this guy...
ACA Back On The Tail Of David Schirmer…

http://nakedeye.com.au/latest/david-schirmer-fraud-the-secret-dvd-and-book.html


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Miguel Melo
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 11:56
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I got offered the book, flicked through it to see what it was about and traded it in for a really cool Heavy Metal CD. Who says dreams don't come true?

I have vague plans for World Domination
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Fallout
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 12:56 Edited at: 1st Dec 2007 12:57
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What Dave said. You can have anything you want, within reason, you just need to pull ya finger out, work for it and be patient.

Really you can't have a ferrari at 15 years old, but at 50 most people could own one, if they've wanted one enough. If you've spent 50 years of your life wanting a ferrari, you would've made all the life decisions to have got you there - i.e. no big fat mortgage, no stupidly expensive holidays (or wives/girlfriends), and a good savings account. Hey presto, you own your ferrari.

So, within reason, you can have anything you want, but anything that is difficult to obtain will require sacrifice. That's why, to achieve my dream of being a member of the RSPCA, I slaughter a goat every night and drink it's blood. Greatest sacrifice you can make.


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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 15:40
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Indeed, I always dreamed of going to a Cambridge College, despite just living outside of it and being above their expectations, didn't happen, dream of going to Cambridge Uni - then realised they didn't do my course and I sucked at A Levels, so I am at Derby uni instead...

Lets hope the same pattern doesn't occur for my lifelong dream of being a writer. Luckily it's one of those things where my hard work can go appreciated.

You don't get what you want by dreaming it, you work for it and to some extent chance and your environment effects how well you can achieve this - I can work to be a millionaire, but just like that it could fail despite what you've done or dreamed.

I love Nancy DrewG, but not insert brain here
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David R
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 15:41
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It's just a placebo effect


09-f9-11-02-9d-74-e3-5b-d8-41-56-c5-63-56-88-c0
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Dave J
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 15:51
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No, it's not a placebo at all. It doesn't even do that.


"Computers are useless, they can only give you answers."
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xplosys
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 16:02
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Just looking at the odds of getting you hearts desires, I would have to say that the more you are... lets say "obsessed" with getting something of achieving a goal, the more time, energy, and planning you put into that end. Therefore, your chances of getting what you really, really, really want are better just by the fact that you put more time and energy into achieving it.

Let's just use that fine sports car for example. You consciously think and dream about it every day. You see yourself driving it and imagine the fun and prestige your life will have. So what if you can't really afford it. After a while of this torture, don't you just go into debt and get it anyway?

As for the powers of attraction and the universe and the rest of that mumbo-jumbo... well no.

Best.

I'm sorry, my answers are limited. You must ask the right question.

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El Goorf
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 18:31
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enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usbNJMUZSwo

http://notmybase.com
All my base are not belong to anyone.
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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 18:45 Edited at: 2nd Dec 2007 07:40
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[EDITED by Jeku] - Watch the language

I love Nancy DrewG, but not insert brain here
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bitJericho
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 18:58
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Oh.. ye, if that's the idea behind the law of attraction, ye, that's crap...


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Antidote
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 20:13
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Allow me to direct you towards xkcd, a web comic with all the answers

http://xkcd.com/240/

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bitJericho
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 20:17
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That one makes me


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tha_rami
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 20:38
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http://xkcd.com/189/

Word.


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Insanity Complex
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Posted: 1st Dec 2007 21:12 Edited at: 1st Dec 2007 21:14
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Quote: "I got offered the book, flicked through it to see what it was about and traded it in for a really cool Heavy Metal CD. Who says dreams don't come true?"

Good call

Oh, and since we're referencing XKCD alluva sudden now...here's my favorite one(warning for language) o.O http://xkcd.com/137/


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