Sunday, March 18, 2007

Reflective Essay: The Secret


In the movie The Secret there is one scene that stands out, truly defining the meaning of this movie. Many scientists are talking about The Secret which is the Law of Attraction. A young scientist starts talking about the law of attrition, he states very eloquently that we do not only become what are in our thoughts but we all so become those thoughts. The next scientist begins to talk; stemming off this idea his perception of the law of attraction is summed up as thoughts become things. These scientists speak of the same concept but have different angles. In the next scene thoughts are being measured in terms of a frequency. Thinking a thought on a daily basis is transmitting out into the universe as a frequency, a magnetic force paralleling back to the thinker.

This movie is about The Secret to life. The Law of Attraction is the underlined point behind the secret. The thoughts that one allows into the universe is what they areattracting. If a person has a positive out look about a particular situation then it is more likely for them to have a positive experience regarding that occasion. Thinking attracts what is in our thoughts. This movie The Secret truthfully has been stated in many different ways and in many different cultures through out time.

In the movie The Secret speaks of a man named Robert, he is a gay man who is constantly being hassled because of his sexuality. At his job his coworker’s gang up on him,when walking home he runs into homophobic people who harass him, and as a stand up comic he is the audiences punch line due to him being gay. One of his professors realizes that Roberts focuses most (if not all) of his time and energy stressed about what was wrong or how people will view him, because of his sexuality. Things began to change when Robertstarted looking at what he wants instead of what is wrong. After changing his thoughts he was no longer faced with homophobic problems after about a month. He changed because he started to forces on what he wanted instead of what he did not want.

The power of thought is more than ideas, these thoughts, can become reality through the belief that ones thoughts can or do impact change in life (physical reality). To most the idea of a thought changing reality can only be seen by witnessing the action behind the thought. The reality change is in the thought itself; directing force. The law of attraction
is seen to work like a magnet. The mind like the magnet does not see what is being asked for, it can only see what is being attracted the positive or the negative.

This movie is not suggesting that every thought that comes to mind can bemanifested. It is simply suggesting that thoughts should be carefully watched because they hold the power of influence over the things that happen to a person. There is an underlying thought to every thing that a person does, there is some emotion. That feeling directs ones body language, the way someone speaks, or even the true meaning of what a person thinks.

This secret is projected to be infinite, to be endless in the midst of possibilities. The thoughts in the mind attract things (objects) that are alike. This is basically saying that reality starts in the thoughts of wants and don’t wants. The more one thinks about a bad situation the more that situation is apparent. The more that situation becomes real will affect that person on an emotional level. The movie states that the feeling is what attracts, not necessarily what one is thinking. Once again the underlying emotion is what is projected and what is attracting.

When looking at the idea of placebos it makes one think about how that could work. Telling someone if they take this pill it will work for chronic pain (or whatever the medical condition) for most of people if they believe that this sugar pill can help them, then the uncomfortable pain will be relieved. The mind knows no difference between what is real andwhat is imagined. The same parts of the brain are working when thinking of somethingand when that situation is actually taking place. The mind has no bias towards what is seen and what is thought.

One may be thinking of what is the point to all of this. Why one should care or be amazed by these ideas. If the placebo idea is true then the belief that something can change our problems can also be true. I see this concept to be extremely important because if people could understand the power that they have over reality, they would be able to live a better life. The understanding the Law of Attraction will open doors of opportunity for personal change and open mindedness. The more a person focuses on having a positive outlook the more likely they are to have a positive experience. The way the movie explain it is that if someone is in a good mood and they do not allow an out side force to change, then they will remain in a positive state of mind. I have noticed to that when I am happy and interacting within the environment, I find a large number of people who respond back with that same positive outlook. The law of attraction matters because it could be a new outlook of finding or shaping ones life to a desired one. To some these concepts are often passed over but to others like me, these ideas are a way of living and an idea for life change. If nothing else, I hope that one can see how important it is to drive ones thoughts towards what is really meaningful. This is true when problems could be single handedly avoided by having a better understanding of negative or unsure thoughts within the mind.



The process is one that truly begins from within, starting with the feeling. That feeling, is no longer seen to be a feeling, but a reality waiting to manifest. There should be no second guessing but an understanding of what the mind truly feeling. The way that these situations (ideas) are supposed to come about is not the question of the wisher, but the universe shifts, working out the command (wish) of the feeling which can change with thoughts and ideas.

Some of these concepts may be difficult to take in or may seem to be just silly. This movie and paper is to help individuals take the power of directing emotion by the thoughts that are present. The life of an individual is up to them, the direction in which the person will go is dependent on the thoughts that they keep in there mind. As a society the direction of many people’s thoughts are focused on what is wrong or bad, only making the world look to be a bigger mess. In theory this movie suggests life is constantly shifting to meet the needs of each person. What is truth, what is reality, the best answer that I have found is that an individual creates there perception of what is true and real. If that is the case for each individual’s reality and if reality is a universal concept which is shared by all; then the true meaning of reality is the thoughts of individuals put together as whole.

Saturday, March 3, 2007

Expression

Art (painting) is expressed in different ways, with different meanings of what the driving force is behind the painter. Painting like all of the arts (dance, music, writing, ect..) is a voice of expression, a voice from within the artist. Expression is everywhere and something that I feel is often over looked. Expression is powerful and can be used to influence in many ways, including the way a painting is angled and the color family. Different types of expression will vary in form depending on the individual artist.

This pen and brown ink sketch by Leonardo da Vinci A Man Tricked By Gypsies can be taken several different ways. Some people see the men in the drawing to be ugly. Others see the gypsies in the drawing to be unconventional and beautiful. Da Vinci would take things or people that he found to be ugly and make them to appear to be beautiful. Leonardo’s idea of beauty is not seen by others in the same way.


Leonardo da Vinci Title: A Man Tricked by Gypsies

The idea of expression and point of view varies from eye to eye and artist to artist. Jackson Pollocks paintings are based on pure emotion. Some may look at his work and think that it is a mess of colors and nothing more than paint thrown on a canvas. While others think that his work is divine. He draws the viewer in by the emotion that is produced from within the on looker. This form of expression is from the subconscious working off the emotions of the painter. Allowing the painting to frame it self instead of having a set idea in mind.
Jackson Pollock Title: Composition

Another point of view that is commonly seen in painting is what the painter has seen in their life. Diego Rivera’s El Vendedor de Alcatraces is showing the viewer inside the life the Diego Rivera. He pulls from realty to form his paintings and to present his point of view. His paintings are true to life experience, they are not just ideas. Rivera‘s point of view is real and relatable, his paintings show the emotion of real struggle.
Diego Rivera Title: El Vendedor de Alctraces

The inspiration for painting changes with the painter as each artist tries to share a message. Other painters paint to release an emotion or to express what words can not. No matter the vision for a painting the true meaning lies in the mind of the viewer. The lasting impression and link with the audience is what makes a great piece of art. Painters paint to share their voice with others (what ever that may be) in hopes of drawing a connection between the painting and the viewer.