4 ms·

> it's a non-stop, predictably and inescapable barrage of "Yeah, but", "Well, on the bright side", "Hey, at least" In moderate dosage, it is useful to blunt ne

> it's a non-stop, predictably and inescapable barrage of "Yeah, but", "Well, on the bright side", "Hey, at least" In moderate dosage, it is useful to blunt negativity and hopelessness, which can also cause failure. But use too much of it, and you're lost in la-la-land. As they say, it's all in the dosage... I think the positive thinking method would get a lot better if it focused less on the outcome, and more on the process. Don't focus on having the great job and enjoying it, focus on the qualities that it takes to get there.

benched 13y ago
Personally, I tend to agree with your second paragraph. I would much rather hear "Run! Run!" than "We can still make the bus!"
- Florin_Andrei 13y ago
  What most people today think about spirituality is childish at best, a hideous deformation at worst. "The Secret" is an instance of that. I've spoken with some Orthodox monks in Eastern Europe, where I grew up. Some of them (a rare few, yes) are surprisingly un-dogmatic, and focused on spirituality instead. Take their prayer for example. It's not so much a naive conversation with an imaginary deity, as most people think. It's more like an old-school mental self-programming technique. They instruct you to never say "give me money", but instead say "give me the strength to attain success" - and visualize it, the process, not the result. They emphasize that you remain the material agent; if you're "given" anything, it's the mental conditions that boost motivation and clear thinking. Even from a purely material and scientific perspective, I'm definitely fine with that view, give or take a metaphoric understanding of the process of "giving" (it's ultimately a change in your mentality that occurs due to prayer and visualization, and even they emphasize that the way the change happens is a mystery better left alone if you're practical-minded).
  - saraid216 13y ago
    > Take their prayer for example. It's not so much a naive conversation with an imaginary deity, as most people think. It's more like an old-school mental self-programming technique. This is historically very, very common. Any deep dive into religious mysticism of any type will immediately blur the line between self-programming and conversation. It's not great (though hardly impossible) as a route to secular authority so it's rarely the dominant understanding.

benched 13y ago

Personally, I tend to agree with your second paragraph. I would much rather hear "Run! Run!" than "We can still make the bus!"

Florin_Andrei 13y ago
What most people today think about spirituality is childish at best, a hideous deformation at worst. "The Secret" is an instance of that. I've spoken with some Orthodox monks in Eastern Europe, where I grew up. Some of them (a rare few, yes) are surprisingly un-dogmatic, and focused on spirituality instead. Take their prayer for example. It's not so much a naive conversation with an imaginary deity, as most people think. It's more like an old-school mental self-programming technique. They instruct you to never say "give me money", but instead say "give me the strength to attain success" - and visualize it, the process, not the result. They emphasize that you remain the material agent; if you're "given" anything, it's the mental conditions that boost motivation and clear thinking. Even from a purely material and scientific perspective, I'm definitely fine with that view, give or take a metaphoric understanding of the process of "giving" (it's ultimately a change in your mentality that occurs due to prayer and visualization, and even they emphasize that the way the change happens is a mystery better left alone if you're practical-minded).
- saraid216 13y ago
  > Take their prayer for example. It's not so much a naive conversation with an imaginary deity, as most people think. It's more like an old-school mental self-programming technique. This is historically very, very common. Any deep dive into religious mysticism of any type will immediately blur the line between self-programming and conversation. It's not great (though hardly impossible) as a route to secular authority so it's rarely the dominant understanding.