Dream A Little Dream

Like all successful books, The Secret has both fanatical supporters and impassioned critics. Supporters in­clude millions of people all over the world who, like Delhi-based market­ing executive Kritika Rao, truly be­lieve that The Secret can make all their dreams come true.

Every morning Rao repeats the mantra Ask. Believe. Receive' and then thanks the world in advance for what she will be given during the day - because she will get what she wants that day.

"Because of this book, I've begun to believe that that I can create my day in advance just by visualising it," says Rao. "So I start every day by believing that I will get everything I want that day. And I always get what I want - from a faster Internet con­nection to quick access to a person I need to interact with to actually completing my work on time."

Critics include people like univer­sity lecturer Monika Verma who wonders how anyone can fail for such "impractical advice." "It's not like I can wish for my perfect car and have it materialise without try­ing to see how or when I can afford it," she says. "It's completely im­practical."

But that, unfortunately, is a point that a lot of The Secret's fans seem to have missed. While positive think­ing is always a good thing and, in fact, is the first step to achievement (the words 'I can't' never got anyone anywhere), good things seldom hap pen because of belief alone, however strong that belief is. Goals are reached when thought is followed by, work, not when thought is followed by more thought and no effort. And work alone is not enough. In the re; world, there must be talent, skill, ability, understanding and yes, sour luck. Byrne makes absolutely no reference to these qualities when she says you can get what you want sin ply by believing that you'll get there and if you look at the other side of what she says - that negative thoughts attract negative situation which means that if you happen to be a victim of terrorism or a natural disaster, that's your fault, then suddenly her "Ask. Believe. Receive of mule doesn't seem quite so convincing any more.

At any rate, even if you stick to the positive side of, Byrne's formula they seem to 1e4d to some rather negative situations. In the US, ac­cording to the Washington Post, since the publication of The Secret therapists are seeing "clients who are headed for real trouble, immercing themselves in a dream world which good things just in Rome." In India, PR professional Rashmi Sehp sees the same thing happening wit friends who've read the book.

"Thanks to the book, many of or friends live in a dream world in which they feel that the things want including money, will just materi­alise because of the strength of their will," she says”

Though for a lot of us it may seem incredible that people such as Seh­gal's friends - all well-educated pro­fessionals - genuinely believe that belief alone will get them what they want, the fact is that the world is full of people who hope against hope that there is an easy way to cope with the vagaries of life. So books like The Secret, with simplistic solu­tions to life's problems, are instantly snapped up - and if taken literally, cause some very real world prob­lems later

"Today, the disparity between the haves and the have-nots is very obvi­ous, and people want what their neighbours have all the time," says Dr Samar Parikh, consultant psychi­atrist with Max Healthcare in Delhi. "That's why therf! are so many cases of excessive credit card debt, be­cause almost all urban people live in this dream world. And they have al­ways lived in this dream world, even before the publication of this book."