What do you think of books like The Secret, in which the authors have been accused of making money out of vulnerable readers?
I don’t think there is anything wrong with making money out of art. There is the idea that to do art you have to starve to death, but why should this be so? What I think is important is you have to be responsible for what you write and know God is watching. If you’re manipulating people, you’re going to pay the price.
Un segreto così grande a 15 euro a copia? Cavolo! per farmi dire quando ero piccolo dove era la cioccolata da mia madre ho fatto sforzi più consistenti,forse in quel libro c' è scritto dove era!
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Pretty shameless marketing I do agree! And it contains a rather thin message but I still say if it speaks to a few people and changes the way they view themselves and the world for the better…I will not complain.
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This is actually a very interesting question and quite relevant and one that I feel strongly about.
As I started to read the answer I sort of felt disappointed with Paulo’s reply but he redeem himself in the last paragraph(in my eyes).
I bought the book and read it, mainly because I need to form my opinions from first experience not ear say, and still think there is valuable good common sense advise in it,that has been pass on from generation to generation ,reinforces some valuable truths that we all love and cherish and it appeals to our aesthetics sense to read them in a nice artsy context
Now my problem with a plot like the Secret is that people that come up with phony divine revelations to help humanity, deserves no respect from me and quite frankly cause me nothing but nausea.
Ok you have a good idea want to write a book, make some money , go ahead best of wishes to you ,but don’t presume we are all so spiritual retarded that we can take you seriously, and that your stolen ideas are some new revelation that you so generously are sharing with us in exchange for 30 pieces of silver.
Unless of course she just came upon the concepts from the book for the fist time in her life and did not know the rest of us have already been living it .So she thought ” If I wrap it really really well it will look ‘almost’ new “
But there is nothing new or secretive in the message, was purely a well orchestrated campaign by someone with half a dozen of good contacts and a well worked face.
My first red flag about this project was when I started to research about it, even before it was released in print, and I come across this incredible concept of delay release, so the book would be revealed, promoted and released in different countries at different dates first the US, some months after in this and other countries. I know this is a common practice for most books but if was suppose to be something to enlighten us all shouldn’t have been a global released? so we could all have access to the revelations at the same time, it would not have been difficult at all to achieve such a momentum .
What kind of So important spiritual message is given first to the ones with greater buying power and with a media machine that can make or break a book deal , and this came from someone that is not American or lives there.
So many of this schemes totally reminds me of this by book I read so many years ago called “The Word” by Irving Wallace, but the secret does not even have the depths and romance of a great plot .
I don’t think I could enjoy all that money with honor ,unless of course I just though I played the biggest scam on all, in which case I would be laughing all the way to the bank
♡
Milou
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Star Wars it is! “Not try - do or do not!” :-)
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Wihtout having read the book (only about it) I do believe there are things in it which are very true.
To reach your dreams, you need to transform them into goals. And to make the goal real you need to vizualise it. The more concrete the better.. start to see the steps, the beginning, the middle, the end and new beginnings, possible setbacks and restarts.
I think we generally vizualise too little
and if I’m not wrong the secret is a lot about that.
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It’s funny, just this morning I discussed this book with a coleague in school. We agreed that it is too superficial and lacks of humility. Besides that, I think it has nothing to do with art at all.
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Aren’t we responsable for our own actions and reactions to what we see, read, hear, buy etc… I have to agree with Savita Vega that The Secret is not a secret. Even the writers of the book know it’s not. They base nearly everything they state in the book on something someone else already discovered. They quote freely and don’t hide the fact. I simply think that some people understood the way The Secret presented the message better than another source. I’ve listen to the book on tape and though it’s examples were often material I think those were just easy (unimaginative) examples. I still feel the premies was great. I liked the analogy of a person being a raido tower beaming into the world their energy and taking in the energy around them. Most importantly and that we have a choice in what we give to the world and take into ourselves. The book seemed to focus on the idea of abundance in life, being thankful for the goodness we have now. The snowball idea that the more goodness you keep in your mind and actions the more goodness you give to the world and recieve. No, not a secret and yes unimaginative. I liked Star Wars better….”Use the Force Luke”.
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You can lead a Horse to Water… but you cannot make it Drink…
Love, Paul
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You can lead a Horse to Water… but cannot make it Drink…
Love, Paul
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Un segreto così grande a 15 euro a copia? Cavolo! per farmi dire quando ero piccolo dove era la cioccolata da mia madre ho fatto sforzi più consistenti,forse in quel libro c’ è scritto dove era!
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Ha ha.Not possible.I understand,but not only writers can manipulate people.Many can do that,they need only people with weak personality and they must be heartless.So,how many fit that pattern?Managers,fortune tellers,priests,proffessors,lawyers……The list is long…
I hope would increase the number of those who are popular,charismatic and still not use people.I think there are some.e.g.dear Paulo Coelho.Love
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I still remember the first time a friend told me about this new book that had just come out. The two of us had spent several years together as members of an Ashram, but by this time, we were living in different parts of the country - she is New York and I in Texas. We were in the midst of a telephone conversation when she asked in a mysterious tone, almost a whisper, "Have you heard yet about The Secret?" "The Secret?" I said, "What secret is that?" She explained, with great enthusiasm, the great "Secret" revealed in this book that she had just finished reading. I listened intently to everything she had to say about it, and then when she had finished, I said, "But that's not a secret - that's the same truth we spent six years studying in the Ashram. That's exactly the same thing that SwamiJi always taught us - 'You are the architect of your destiny' - remember?" She obviously didn't seem to see the similarity, the repetition, as to her this was apparently a wholly new teaching - a true "secret" revealed to the world for the first time in history.
The way I see it is that these essential truths, such as this, take shape as the need and the readiness to hear and understand them arises in the heart of humankind. This "Secret" is not a new truth by any means, but at this point in time, because humanity is ready to hear it, it has taken this particular form in this book called "The Secret." Because this book is not some esoteric teaching reserved for a few who have seated themselves at the feet of some guru - because it has taken popular form as a book widely available to millions - it will now be more widely disseminated and absorbed into our popular culture than ever. In essence, the time has come for this so called "Secret" to come out, to be made available and easily accessible by a broader audience. I think, in this process, the author and publishers are just instruments of a larger Divine Plan. Therefore, it is rather irrelevant how great or how small their financial gain. They are still instruments of God's plan to make this truth known world-wide at this particular time.
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I have read the "Secret" and to be honest I was not impressed. It is like a .. manual for showing people how to achive sucess… in the material world.__Maybe this is the
reason for its success. People are searching for the 'easy way'. It is the manual how to use our Will-Thoughts and be concentrated in this scope. People are vulnerable in this respect. The desire for riches, wealth and success lies in everyone of us. Money makes life easier.
I was always thinking that artists should not have any worries about .. money! They should be able to practice their art, as it is meant … on the clouds!! To paint, write, play music, sing, act, create .. undisturbed by earthly worries!
The true 'philosopher' knows how to use his will-power. This should be achieved in accord with his spiritual and emotional harmony and not just to feed someones egoism and 'weakness' for power, selling his soul to … Devil.
LOVE,
Thelma
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