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Law of Attraction is just a modern-day religion
(lemmy.world)
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this post was submitted on 06 May 2024
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Showerthoughts
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.
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I think there's a semi-reasonable way to engage with the idea. If you have some specific goal and you continually think about it/focus on it, of COURSE that will make it more likely/make you better at it. At that level, it's sort of just tricking yourself into actually getting shit done. Like faking it until you make it--act confident and soon you're actually confident, etc.
But I understand that most people take it further than that. I just think it's harmless at its most basic, even as I also think it's Oprahesque bullshit.
That's part of it, but not all. The world is a vast and complex place, you cannot possibly engage with, or even notice, the majority of the information available to your senses.
Your subconscious mind filters out information which isn't significant to you, and draws attention to information which is. This is why when you get a car, it suddenly seems like everyone got that same make and model. That model didn't become more popular, you just now have a reason to notice what was already there.
The Law of Attraction is one incarnation of the intentional exploitation of this psychological phenomenon. By attaching significance to some goal, and reinforcing that significance, you train your subconscious mind to notice opportunities in service of that goal.
Nice explanation. I could still get behind that. I know there are woo-ey versions of it, but I find the fundamental idea of "visualization" to be pretty solid, regardless of whether the mechanism is internal, external, or purely imagined.
The woo-ey aspects are actually pretty interesting. Since the mechanism relies on focusing your subconscious, belief is crucial. If you don't believe in your goal, and the efficacy of the method, your subconscious won't buy-in, and without subconscious buy-in it flat out doesn't work. Subconscious buy-in is the mechanism. You can't try to consciously trick the subconscious, it's in there with the one trying to trick it. You have to really believe.
A lot of people can't believe that it's internal. They don't think that ability could possibly be in them anywhere, so in order to cultivate the requisite belief they have to attribute the mechanism to some kind of external woo. So even if the woo isn't real, belief in the woo can be integral to the mechanism working.
I totally agree with you! I think it works but not in the way people think it is.
It can be frustrating when authors and others attempt to market the concept as scientifically grounded, kinda like a cult at times.
I feel bad for people who persist in the wrong direction and repeatedly fail to achieve their goals. It's even worse when, after all that, they blame themselves for "not communicating well with the universe".