I have studied various philosophies and theologies for most of my life. I have always been fascinated by the innate moral values that we as humans tend to have. There is a common thread of good vs evil in every culture on every continent. It is what separates man from beast. Whether or not we evolved, what currently divides us from the other creatures upon this earth is our conscience. It is our knowledge and consciousness of the rights and feelings of others and a recognition of right and wrong that makes us human. (On a side note it is interesting that when we see a dog or other animal show sympathy for suffering or recognition of evil, it is then that we view them as "Smart.". Any dog can play fetch and any dog can be taught to rollover, but they can just as quickly and easily turn on a small child. But the truly special animals become part of our families because they show a different level of intelligence.)
I think that this consciousness and the law of attraction work hand in hand. Let me briefly explain the law of attraction for those who are less familiar with it.
The law of attraction is effectively the name that we have given to a power that we don't understand. The greatest minds in the study of this Law consider themselves to be in the infancy of understanding it. But nearly every human being is, at least to some degree, aware of its existence. To grossly understate and simplify the Law of attraction: It is the understanding that we can accomplish anything we set our minds to. It is the idea that whatever we focus on our minds have the power to manifest in our lives. Therefore we "Attract" to our lives what we truly "desire." This principle applies to everything from Your Family to your Business. Sometimes when we control ourselves and focus on a good thing, this can be an extremely powerful ally. However, sometimes we focus on things that we don't want, and in these instances the law of attraction can become just as powerful an enemy. So to illustrate, When in your life you have set a goal and become absolutely determined to achieve it, there are often times that some "miracle" happens which assists you in success. In contrast, at times when your focus has been on the fear of failure and your mind tends to worry constantly about what the consequences of failure might be, often just as miraculous an event comes about and ensures your defeat.
Again, I apologize for the gross simplification of the Law of attraction, there are books upon books on this subject and I just explained my limited grasp of these principals in a paragraph. (To anyone who is looking for a more appropriate introduction to this, I recommend The Secret, By Rhonda Byrnes)
I have read books, I have studied various points of view on this subject and I feel that the Law of Accountability is shockingly misunderstood in most views of the Law of Attraction. For Example, in The Secret, it makes it very plain that EVERY single thing that happens in your life or in anyone's life is a result of them "attracting" that event. It says, "If something comes to you, you drew it...the Law of Attraction is precise."
The entire chapter entitled "The law of Attraction made Simple" is a discourse from various experts that say that absolutely nothing can happen to you unless you attracted it to yourself. Now for a wide variety of things, I agree completely, our relationships and how others treat us at work or school, how much money we make and even our health. However, I believe that the Law of Attraction can be broken.
I will challenge the most advanced student of the law of attraction to say that they are convinced that a small child could "attract" a molester. Or that a family on the way to Disneyland attracted the Drunk driver that hit their car. These are criminal acts and I suggest that the very reason that we punish those responsible for them is that our human nature, our conscience, recognizes the Law of Attraction and it pains us to see it violated.
I read a story of a Father who took his 5 year old daughter out in the desert, poured gasoline on her and set her on fire. When investigators found the body they could see where that innocent child had crawled toward her father to seek help. Her instinct was to get help from the one who was supposed to protect her.
I hate that story, it makes me feel sick every time I think of it, and I apologize for sharing it with you, but I do so to illustrate a point. That sick feeling, that anger, that horror that you feel when you imagine that little child's final moments, that feeling is your soul's recognition that the Law of attraction has been violated.
Now sometimes awful, terrible things happen that people have attracted to themselves. A gang-member dies in a shooting, a smoker is diagnosed with lung cancer, or (for a specific example) that GrizzlyMan guy is eaten by a bear. As tragic and horrible as these events are it is clear that these individuals put themselves into dangerous circumstances and the outcomes, though tragic are results of their choices.
I believe that most crimes are recognized as criminal because we as a society recognize the violation of a basic law of the universe. And that Law says that we have control over our circumstances, good or bad, what happens to us in our life is brought to us by our thoughts and actions and nothing should happen to us unless we attract it to ourselves.
I have seen the Law of Attraction at work in this world. I know that it exists by one name or another I know it is there. I believe in the power of the human mind and I believe that what we do with our lives and what we can accomplish or fail at is completely in our own control. However, I am sickened and offended when someone says that the passengers on the airplanes on 9/11 "attracted" that. Or that the victims in the WTC somehow drew that experience to themselves. And there are thousands of instances everyday where one person forces their will upon another and forces the event that the have "attracted" to be experienced by innocent bystanders.
As I have discussed the Law of Attraction with other Christians, I have found that many of them are skeptical about it because of this one idea. It seems that "Justice" is missing from most interpretations of the Law of Attraction, because it feels as though the criminal or instigator is almost let off the hook. If I attracted that guy breaking into my car, then it's not really his fault...is it?
The problem is there is a fine line to walk. We know that we should each be accountable for our own lives but we also know that there are pathological "Victims" in this world. People who choose to be "acted upon" rather than to act themselves. Nothing is ever their fault and "the world" is taking advantage of them until the day they are finally robbed of their miserable existence. I think that most Law of Attraction gurus want to wake this group of people up and teach them to take more control of their lives by taking responsibility for their own circumstances.
However, by simply passing all events off as "attracted" by the victims, I fear we open a dangerous door in misrepresenting "Accountability". And people who understand that they are in control of MOST of what happens to them, question the validity of the Law of Attraction based simply on this one principle. I contend that we can and should find balance between the two and be. One day we may live in a perfect world - one where the Law of Attraction is never violated, no more crime, no more innocent victims. However, until we can accomplish that, we need to learn to balance a need to blame everything on other people on one side and the need to blame only our selves on the other.
Danny Hawman
www.ShareTheLawofAttraction.com
