Jenice Armstrong | Reality is the real 'Secret'

THE WAY I see it, following the teachings of "The Secret" is kind of like having a genie in a bottle.

Only no rubbing is required.

Die-hards believe that if they follow the rules of the Law of Attraction as explained in the New York Times best-seller by Rhonda Burnes, they can wind up as rich as Warren Buffett - or at the very least have unexpected windfalls deposited directly into their mailbox just because.

Think positively and you'll never have to pay for parking again. Apply the tenets in the book and the universe will line things up so that you'll always discover a space just for you - regardless of how many other vehicles are circling the block in search of the exact same thing.

When you listen to the book on CD, as I did, or read the convincing testimonials from the hard-core believers, I can see why some people feel as if they've stumbled onto some sort of holy grail. Burnes writes about "The Secret" as if she's sharing ancient wisdom with the world.

It's intriguing stuff, for no other reason than it promises the fulfillment of your every heart's desire, provided you think positively and believe in yourself. In other words, instead of rubbing on a bottle to coax the genie out, you have only to believe and your wishes will come true.

It's good stuff - provided you keep it all in perspective. You can take some of this but only so far. Because you can believe all you want, but chances are next year you're not going to wind up in the Oval Office unless, of course, you're one of the Democratic or Republican front-runners and have already amassed a boatload of money.

What concerns me about "The Secret" is the notion that, somehow, serious illness or natural disasters that befall innocent people are the result of something that they did wrong. And then there are "The Secret" devotees who take the book too literally.

Oprah Winfrey, who devoted two shows to the book in February, was so concerned about this that she recently felt compelled to step forward and issue a clarification on her own views. She was prompted by a letter she received from a viewer named Kim who wrote that she'd decided to forego treatment for a partial mastectomy to treat her breast cancer. Instead of merely writing the woman off as a head case, Winfrey brought her onto the show and explained to the woman that positive thinking is a good thing but has its limits.

"What I believe about the law of attraction, I want to clarify it," Winfrey said. "I want to say it's a tool. It is not the answer for everything. It is not the answer to atrocities or every tragedy.

"It is just one law. Not the only law. And certainly, certainly, certainly not a get-rich-quick scheme. The Law of Attraction is a tool that can help you decide what you want your life to be, and then begin to help you focus on making the best choices through action to create that life."

In other words, thinking positively is useful, but at some point reality has to kick in. And that's also part of the secret of ultimately getting what you want. *

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