Letters to the Editor
truth teller
Published Letters: 25 Editor's Choice: 1
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Myriad problems
[Read the article: High colonic]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm appalled that a proofreader would use the grammatically incorrect phrase "a myriad of." "Myriad" means "many" and should be used in the same way. This is such a talked about error, I'm surprised someone purporting to be a writer and a proofreader would succumb to it.
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Mea culpa!
[Read the article: High colonic]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]So, as others have pointed out, "myriad" is also a noun, making "a myriad of" grammatically correct. It is, however, still not good writing style. Just as "A ton of work has to happen in order for this project to move forward" is better stated "Much work has to happen..." using "myriad" instead of "a myriad of" is the better choice.
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religious science
[Read the article: Buddha on the brain]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm surprised when reading articles about science and religion that no on discusses the sect of religion known as Religious Science. Founded by Ernest Holmes, Religious Science sees no contradiction between the two and delves into the mysteries of both. It began by looking at what all religions have in common and exploring those commonalities and what really lies at the truth of human existence.
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Don't discard the message because of the messenger
[Read the article: Oprah's ugly secret]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm no fan of Oprah's, but actually DO subscribe to the Law of Attraction. I haven't read or seen "The Secret" and have no intention to, but Mr. Birkenhead is gravely mistaken when he says the Law of Attraction blames the "victim." It does no such thing. It simply states that thoughts are creative and when you have negative thoughts about yourself and the world, that's what you attract into your life. It's a simple fact of the Universe, like gravity. Gravity doesn't blame the "victim" for falling down. Should one blame the sun when one gets sunburned?
I'm amazed at the amount of anger this simple notion seems to arouse in people. I'm not rich or even successful by most standards. I also realize that my beliefs have a lot to do with that. I don't think people with AIDS are to blame for their disease. I also don't believe that people with AIDS are "victims." Let's not be so hasty to classify every "self-help" concept as snake oil, just because the idea that you create your own reality makes people uncomfortable.
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Why Law of Attraction isn't blaming the victim
[Read the article: Oprah's ugly secret]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You asked, I'll answer.
The Law of Attraction does not "blame" the victim because blame is defined as "assigning responsibility for a fault or wrong." There is nothing WRONG with having AIDS or being less than prosperous and getting hit by a car. It simply is. It is a simple fact of life. As others have pointed out, "The Secret" is hardly a secret. Many philosphers thoughout time have spoken to the fact that we create our own reality. Including arguably the greatest philospher of all who said, "You reap what you sow."
This isn't exactly rocket science.
And yet, let me hasten to add simply because someone creates their own reality, doesn't mean we don't have COMPASSION for them. Of course, compassion plays a major part in the whole scheme of life, and this is where I believe Oprah falls short. She has no compassion for those who struggle with creating their own reality because she's been successful at it. And that is why she is so annoying.
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Why the anger?
[Read the article: Oprah's ugly secret]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I still don't understand why people find "New Thought" belief systems so "infuriating," as Tim Lukeman describes it. Do you feel the same towards other people's belief systems? Do Muslims and Buddhists and Jews "infuriate" you? This utter intolerance of another's point of view is simply amazing to me and no doubt utterly hypocritical, as most Salon readers, I imagine, consider themselves to be the epitome of tolerance.
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twisting words
[Read the article: Oprah's ugly secret]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]NOBODY is saying the poor (or the sick or the depressed) deserve their fate. Does ANYBODY on this planet actually attempt to UNDERSTAND anything before providing an opinion on it?
The Law of Attraction simply states that you attract those in your life to which you give your attention. Period. End of story. It doesn't place blame, point fingers or otherwise demonize those who have a difficult lot in life.
If you constantly think of what you lack in life, you'll experience lack. Does anyone not agree wtih this statement? How many people do we all know who cannot think or talk about anything other than their lack?
Conversely, how many people that you know who constantly focus on the good in their lives have good in their lives?
I cannot understand the need to demonize something so obvious.
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wishing won't make it so
[Read the article: Oprah's ugly secret]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Although it's clear this is quickly deteriorating into the ridiculous, I feel compelled to say one last thing.
People give their attention to things in may ways -- not simply by thinking about it. People's ACTIONS and DEEDS are also providing the means for the Law of Attraction to work. If you go out into the world with fear and live from that fear and then go home and wish for love, it's not going to happen because you life most of your life out of fear. And if you're wishing for riches out of a concern of lack, it's really the LACK you're focusing on and therefore what you're attracting into your life.
The Law of Attraction doesn't negate surprises or spontaneity in one's life. And the fact that people wish for things they don't get doesn't negate the Law.
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anna --
[Read the article: Oprah's ugly secret]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's frustrating to try to discuss LOA in a vacuum, because it is simply one part of a much larger picture. But you're close to getting it -- LOA doesn't limit one's possibilities simply because one can't always conceive of our greatest good. In fact, one should always pray for one's greatest good and surrender to it just as you suggest. Because, as you so correctly point out, our greatest good does not necessarily look like what we thought it would. But I would argue that even in those moments the LOA is working. For those who experience a good they never conciously dreamed of, perhaps what they were giving their attention to was either subconscious or simply putting their attention on their greatest good, whatever that may look like.