Ah, yes. One of the quandaries of modern life, our dependence on our personal computers. Mine has come to pass this week with my beloved trusty Dell 530S on the fritz. Not to worry; Dell is going to come galloping to the rescue with a spiffy new one sometime mid month, and in the meantime I'm using my boyfriend's older, somewhat slower one to get work and play (including blog posts and articles) done when he's not using it.
What would the Law of Attraction's role be in crashing computers? :-) Not much, except probably that I drew this to myself because yes, I worry that this is going to happen quite often, and I suspect that's true of a lot of people who spend their working lives on their computers. Plus that I also "drew to myself" my ability to use my boyfriend's computer so that this isn't quite the disaster it could have been.
Be that as it may, yes, I did "back up" important data (can't leave that to the Law of Attraction now, can we?), and I should be good to go again as soon as the new one gets here.
By the way, I've got to tell you about a piece of software I discovered several years ago, called Spinrite. It's working on my old computer right now, and what I hope it will do is to retrieve data I didn't back up. I've bought a new hard drive for the old computer, which I will clone from the old one, assuming the old one temporally starts working again after Spinrite is done with it. Great way to protect yourself from computer crashes -- although if I'd have thought of it, I'd have simply cloned my old hard drive's data onto a new one after a couple of years, which is about the life expectancy of a hard drive, for me.
Anyway; enough blather about computers and their idiosyncrasies. I'll be posting again soon!
Best,
Kim
Friday, March 5, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Reality Bites
In the continuing James Ray saga, today's news reports that Mr. Ray is "broke." He can't afford his $5 million bail, his finances have been "shaken" by withdrawals to pay for his legal defense, among other things, and apparently, he's not worth the millions he himself bragged about during numerous interviews. But let's remember: This was the sleek, sexy, self-styled "guru" of the new "let's get rich" Law of Attraction crowd, and he had to look good to keep attracting those followers.
"As you think, so shall you be"
Proponents of LOA have basically always underscored the adage, "As you think, so shall you be." Nothing is truer, in my opinion, as far as Mr. Ray's situation is concerned. If you focus on appearance rather than substance, that is of course what you are going to attract. In other words, you look good on the surface, like Mr. Ray did, but when you scratch underneath that surface, what do you find? Not much.
This is a guy who bragged to Fortune Magazine in April of 2008 that his financial yearly goal was $21 million and that while he was sure there were limits, his attitude was, "I'm not aware of them."
Welcome to reality, Mr. Ray. You do have limits, and here they are, in stark relief. By the way, they have nothing to do with how much money you can earn, but how you actually earn that money -- and how you spend it. In other words, reality is going to bite you in the butt if you earn that money through pretense and callous disregard for others except for what they can give you in terms of a paycheck and a bloated bank account. By not being aware of those limits (by your own admission), you find yourself in this situation.
Being responsible and paying attention
LOA is about personal responsibility and paying attention, above all. In addition to his continuing legal troubles, Ray has also got a net worth of *negative* $4.2 million, because, apparently (and again), he didn't pay attention to his own actions in terms of finances, either. Overspending and living far above your means is just another example of the type of reckless disregard Ray so embodies.
Again, a good wake-up call for we folks who believe in the Law of Attraction. You do absolutely get back what you put out. Reckless disregard, or responsible, aware, thoughtful behavior? It's our choice.
"As you think, so shall you be"
Proponents of LOA have basically always underscored the adage, "As you think, so shall you be." Nothing is truer, in my opinion, as far as Mr. Ray's situation is concerned. If you focus on appearance rather than substance, that is of course what you are going to attract. In other words, you look good on the surface, like Mr. Ray did, but when you scratch underneath that surface, what do you find? Not much.
This is a guy who bragged to Fortune Magazine in April of 2008 that his financial yearly goal was $21 million and that while he was sure there were limits, his attitude was, "I'm not aware of them."
Welcome to reality, Mr. Ray. You do have limits, and here they are, in stark relief. By the way, they have nothing to do with how much money you can earn, but how you actually earn that money -- and how you spend it. In other words, reality is going to bite you in the butt if you earn that money through pretense and callous disregard for others except for what they can give you in terms of a paycheck and a bloated bank account. By not being aware of those limits (by your own admission), you find yourself in this situation.
Being responsible and paying attention
LOA is about personal responsibility and paying attention, above all. In addition to his continuing legal troubles, Ray has also got a net worth of *negative* $4.2 million, because, apparently (and again), he didn't pay attention to his own actions in terms of finances, either. Overspending and living far above your means is just another example of the type of reckless disregard Ray so embodies.
Again, a good wake-up call for we folks who believe in the Law of Attraction. You do absolutely get back what you put out. Reckless disregard, or responsible, aware, thoughtful behavior? It's our choice.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Should You Care about the Health Care Debate If You Believe in the Law of Attraction?
As the health care debate drags on in the US, and with no end in sight, I was musing about this dilemma the other day as it relates to the Law of Attraction. Proponents of the traditional view of LOA would say that you put your attention on what you want, and you take your attention away from what you don't want -- simple as that. What does that mean for those of us who are watching this healthcare situation, though? Do we focus on this debate with the intent that the outcome we want happens (whatever that may be), or do we ignore it and simply focus on our own well-being?
I think it's a little bit of both. I do pay attention to the health care debate, because as one of those without insurance, I want affordable insurance to be available to me (and millions of others like me) so that if I should have need of health care services, I can get them without having to worry about ending up in the poor house. This represents the first real opportunity that we have had in this country to have just that.
On the other hand, I realize that as one single person, my thoughts on this are probably going to have relatively little impact on what happens in Washington; I can, however, join with like-minded people who believe in the Law of Attraction, positive thinking, whatever you may have, and who want health care insurance for all that will be fair and affordable. The power of positive thinking, especially combined, can always make great changes.
What's not going to be beneficial is ruminating over this endlessly, thinking that Washington is only a corrupt city and that nothing will ever change; certainly, there may be corrupt politicians within the system that need to be purged, but they'll eventually cycle out. If we believe in the Law of Attraction, then we know we brought this political system into reality throughout history, and similarly, if we want to change it, we can.
And another thing: Does that mean that those who DON'T want a public option for health insurance should be ignored? That's a good question, and the short answer to that is, yes. Here's why. Not only is it a good Law of Attraction practice to ignore what you can't change (in this case, public health-care opponents' opposition), but there's another really important point to ignoring what the opposition thinks.
That is, those people who don't want a public option probably already have really good health insurance (or haven't had health problems to the point they find out their insurance doesn't really cover them after all, in which case they'll probably join the ranks of those of us who want it). The public option is for those of us whom pay too much for the insurance we do have, or who can't get health insurance at all. Those folks who don't want a public health insurance option probably also don't need it, and therefore don't have to use it.
I think it's a little bit of both. I do pay attention to the health care debate, because as one of those without insurance, I want affordable insurance to be available to me (and millions of others like me) so that if I should have need of health care services, I can get them without having to worry about ending up in the poor house. This represents the first real opportunity that we have had in this country to have just that.
On the other hand, I realize that as one single person, my thoughts on this are probably going to have relatively little impact on what happens in Washington; I can, however, join with like-minded people who believe in the Law of Attraction, positive thinking, whatever you may have, and who want health care insurance for all that will be fair and affordable. The power of positive thinking, especially combined, can always make great changes.
What's not going to be beneficial is ruminating over this endlessly, thinking that Washington is only a corrupt city and that nothing will ever change; certainly, there may be corrupt politicians within the system that need to be purged, but they'll eventually cycle out. If we believe in the Law of Attraction, then we know we brought this political system into reality throughout history, and similarly, if we want to change it, we can.
And another thing: Does that mean that those who DON'T want a public option for health insurance should be ignored? That's a good question, and the short answer to that is, yes. Here's why. Not only is it a good Law of Attraction practice to ignore what you can't change (in this case, public health-care opponents' opposition), but there's another really important point to ignoring what the opposition thinks.
That is, those people who don't want a public option probably already have really good health insurance (or haven't had health problems to the point they find out their insurance doesn't really cover them after all, in which case they'll probably join the ranks of those of us who want it). The public option is for those of us whom pay too much for the insurance we do have, or who can't get health insurance at all. Those folks who don't want a public health insurance option probably also don't need it, and therefore don't have to use it.
Monday, February 15, 2010
James Ray's "Accident" Defense Means He's No Believer in LOA
There's another thing about James Ray that's bothered me since this has come out. That is, he's been trying to say via his lawyers that this incident was an "accident." But wouldn't he, being the master of the Law of Attraction that he purports himself to be, and the ultimate believer that he says he is, know that there are no accidents?
Before this (and before he had to dance and protect his own butt), he would have said so. In fact, I'm sure he would have somberly shaken his finger at whoever tried to say so, and reminded them that they were responsible for themselves and that there were no accidents.
So, if there are no accidents, how can this incident suddenly have been deemed an accident by Ray? More than that, how do LOA's immutable laws somehow bend themselves to Ray's situation (i.e., certainly an accident for him, but no one else, right?)?
Indeed, if Ray's situation can do anything, it can make those of us who believe in LOA stop and take sober stock of our own actions, that along with the (admittedly enticing) "Just do what feels good!" clarion call of Abraham-Hicks and others in this tradition, we pair that with a respect for our physical existence and yes, our responsibility to others.
Before this (and before he had to dance and protect his own butt), he would have said so. In fact, I'm sure he would have somberly shaken his finger at whoever tried to say so, and reminded them that they were responsible for themselves and that there were no accidents.
So, if there are no accidents, how can this incident suddenly have been deemed an accident by Ray? More than that, how do LOA's immutable laws somehow bend themselves to Ray's situation (i.e., certainly an accident for him, but no one else, right?)?
Indeed, if Ray's situation can do anything, it can make those of us who believe in LOA stop and take sober stock of our own actions, that along with the (admittedly enticing) "Just do what feels good!" clarion call of Abraham-Hicks and others in this tradition, we pair that with a respect for our physical existence and
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Accountability and the Law of Attraction
I've been thinking more about James Ray and this egoistic mess he's gotten himself into, and it's crystallized something for me that I've been pondering, but I haven't been able to put into words until now. That is, when you decide to seriously pursue the Law of Attraction as a way of life, you don't become LESS accountable for other people. A lot of what I have read about the Law of Attraction in the past has hinted at just that; in other words, it's all about you, while other people are secondary.
However, I think that believing in the Law of Attraction makes you become MORE accountable for other people -- but not in the way most of us think of being "accountable."
That is, we don't become accountable to people in that we try to please them. We don't try to believe what they believe or agree with them to simply "get along," or because we think they know better than we do. The Law of Attraction is about self-empowerment, so in that sense, we truly are on our own path. We don't become responsible or accountable for other adults in that we try to take charge of them, and we know that we have to let them go on their own paths just as we're going on ours.
However, once you believe in the Law of Attraction, it does make you absolutely aware that you are responsible for your own actions in every way, which means you're also accountable for how you treat other people. And if that's true, then that means we have to be really careful that we always treat other people with care, respect and courtesy. That's a very different tone, in some respects, than the "Just float your own cork!" message you get from more traditional LOA messengers like Abraham-Hicks.
However, I think that believing in the Law of Attraction makes you become MORE accountable for other people -- but not in the way most of us think of being "accountable."
That is, we don't become accountable to people in that we try to please them. We don't try to believe what they believe or agree with them to simply "get along," or because we think they know better than we do. The Law of Attraction is about self-empowerment, so in that sense, we truly are on our own path. We don't become responsible or accountable for other adults in that we try to take charge of them, and we know that we have to let them go on their own paths just as we're going on ours.
However, once you believe in the Law of Attraction, it does make you absolutely aware that you are responsible for your own actions in every way, which means you're also accountable for how you treat other people. And if that's true, then that means we have to be really careful that we always treat other people with care, respect and courtesy. That's a very different tone, in some respects, than the "Just float your own cork!" message you get from more traditional LOA messengers like Abraham-Hicks.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
James Ray Has Been Charged with Manslaughter
James Ray has been charged with manslaughter in the deaths of three people who perished during the Sedona Arizona sweat lodge incident. This is very, very good news, in my opinion.
I'm a believer in the Law of Attraction, to be sure, but one of the Law of Attraction's teachings is that you take responsibility for your actions. Ray is trying to squirm his way around this, in my opinion, by saying that he takes responsibility but that he's not criminally guilty, which is a crock. In this case, "I'm responsible" means, "I'm guilty," for his part in those deaths.
If he REALLY believed in the Law of Attraction, this never would have happened, because he never would have so become disconnected with other people in his teachings with them that he ignored them in favor of his own ego-driven pursuits.
And now, he's really going to experience the Law of Attraction in all of its simplicity and directness. You can't "pretend" your way out of the Law of Attraction's results, and now he's going to learn that.
I'm a believer in the Law of Attraction, to be sure, but one of the Law of Attraction's teachings is that you take responsibility for your actions. Ray is trying to squirm his way around this, in my opinion, by saying that he takes responsibility but that he's not criminally guilty, which is a crock. In this case, "I'm responsible" means, "I'm guilty," for his part in those deaths.
If he REALLY believed in the Law of Attraction, this never would have happened, because he never would have so become disconnected with other people in his teachings with them that he ignored them in favor of his own ego-driven pursuits.
And now, he's really going to experience the Law of Attraction in all of its simplicity and directness. You can't "pretend" your way out of the Law of Attraction's results, and now he's going to learn that.
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