FD5

Marcie Kagawa
14 August 2008
FD5

It’s all in the Secret

Being cautious about those who are different from us is something that is hardwired in the human psyche. Because of the imperfect world that we live in, that caution is oftentimes cultivated into discrimination and elitism. Even in America, the country that prides itself on being full of diversity, discrimination exists and even flourishes, resulting in thousands of hate crimes a year. Essentially, this is because human beings grow up believing that they are at the mercy of other forces. In order to address the problem of hate crimes, society as a whole must embrace the philosophy of the Secret.

The Secret is a philosophy that proclaims that “we create our own circumstances by the choices we make in life. And the choices we make are fueled by our thoughts – which means our thoughts are the most powerful things we have here on earth” (Discovering the Secret). The problem with the world today is that we allow outside forces to influence us, whether it be other people, the media or even the past. What the Secret wants us to believe is that we are in control of ourselves. There is no destiny, no pre-determined plan. Other people do not really affect us unless we allow them to. The media is only so powerful because we allow it to influence us. The past may be something to be remembered, but we should not derive any biases or negative thoughts from it. Essentially, we must allow ourselves to be the pure beings we were born as; like newborn babies, we must be unfettered by the negativity and discrimination in the world.

Hate crimes are derived from peoples’ fears, prejudices and elitist beliefs. These fears, prejudices and elitist beliefs are derived from how we apply what we learn to our lives. One of the most prevalent types of hate crimes is racially spurred, as evidenced in a Seattle hate crimes report that stated, “The two biggest motivators for attacks, according to the report, were race (141 incidents) and sexual orientation (119 incidents).” This may be because of outer appearance, historical occurrences or stereotypes. For example:

A Cornell University sophomore [was] indicted on hate crime charges stemming from the stabbing of a black student from Union College…the Cornell student, Nathan H. Poffenbarger…had just been asked to leave the fraternity house for directing racist remarks at a pledge when he encountered the victim outside…witnesses reported that Mr. Poffenbarger, who is white, was screaming racist slurs…when three students, including the victim, Charles Holiday, confronted him…there was an exchange of angry words…but the altercation appeared to be ending when Mr. Poffenbarger suddenly ran back and stabbed Mr. Holiday… (Foderaro)

Though it is unfortunate that such crimes occur, it is because we allow ourselves to develop fears, prejudices and elitist beliefs based on outside influences.

If society were to embrace the philosophy of the Secret, slowly, our fears, prejudices and elitist beliefs would dissolve. Adhering to the teachings of the Secret means that we believe in our own power to control our lives; thus, it follows that because, at the core of it, human beings are positive and happy beings, such negative sentiments would eventually be eliminated, thus eliminating the occurrence of hate crimes. I, personally, have been trying to incorporate the teachings of the Secret into my life for the past year and while I was a skeptic at first, I have to say that the idea grew on me; I wanted to be a happier person, I wanted to take back control of my life. Although it is difficult to constantly believe that only good things will happen when I have been so conditioned to expect the negative to happen too, I am proud to declare that I have had some positive results and would fully recommend the Secret to anyone willing to try it.

Many people would probably be skeptical and disbelieving in the effects of the Secret and would hardly be willing to try it, but after watching the DVD, reading the book and hearing about the many success stories from ordinary people who utilized it, it is difficult to argue that the idea is so far-fetched. Those who are able to look at any situation with a positive attitude are happier, more productive people in society. I believe that because my grandfather believed in teachings similar to the Secret, he lived longer than he was supposed to fighting against stomach cancer.

The Secret really is a blessing disguised as an unbelievable philosophy. If all of society adhered to its teachings, the world we are living in would be a happier, more harmonious place to live. We must believe in our own power to control and shape our lives and not rely on other people, the media or past occurrences. Hate crimes can be reduced and eventually eliminated, if only we could try something new and just believe.


Works Cited

Chansanchai, Athima. "Bias Crimes Found in All Areas of City." Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 4 May 2006. 14 Aug. 2006 [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/268997_bias04.html?source=mypi].

"Discovering The Secret." Oprah.com. N.d. 14 Aug. 2008 [http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/spirit/knowyourself/slideshow1_ss_20070208/1].

Foderaro, Lisa W. "Cornell Student Is Accused of Hate Crimes in Stabbing." New York Times online. 5 May 2006. 14 Aug. 2008 [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/05/nyregion/05cornell.html].