The Power - full circle from Rhonda Byrns to James Arthur Ray

The Stupid just never ends. It really doesn't. The maker of The Secret, Rhonda Byrne, has a new book out called The Power, which is filled with spectacularly meaningless and asinine insights from cover to cover. For instance:

when water is exposed to positive words and feelings such as love and gratitude, the energy level of the water not only increases, but the structure of the water changes, making it perfectly harmonious ... When water is exposed to negative emotions, such as hate, the energy level of the water decreases and chaotic changes occur.

Wow, just wow. Remember for a moment that Te Sekret claims that by the "Law" of attraction anyone can get anything they want just by wishing for it. This is just about the stupidest thing imaginable, and considering that 19 million copies of the book were sold, I can hardly conceive of how much this book decreased the welfare of the human race.

Okay, enough with the pleasantries. As you may or may not know, one of the "teachers" in Te Sekret was none other than James Arthur Ray (JAR). JAR is all about the law of attraction. He is a true blue practitioner of the philosophy espoused in Te Sekret. Now, here's the thing. Last year, October 8, 2009, JAR murdered 3 people and severely injured many others.

The people he murdered and injured payed him nearly $10,000 to transform their lives in a five-day "Spiritual Warrior" event that included a sweat lodge ceremony meant to be the highlight of the event. However, things didn't turn out so well in the sweat lodge:

People were vomiting in the stifling heat, gasping for air, and lying lifeless on the sand and gravel floor beneath them

And when all this was happening, do you suppose JAR was doing everything possible to save the lives of trusting people who put their faith in him? Nope.

When participants exhibited weakness, Ray urged them to push past it and chided those who wanted to leave, she said. "I can't get her to move. I can't get her to wake up," Bunn recalls hearing from two sides of the 415-square-foot sweat lodge. Ray's response: "Leave her alone, she'll be dealt with in the next round."

What a guy. JAR is a despicable human being. But that is somewhat beside the point. The real issue is that the reason all these lives were destroyed is that they bought into the law of attraction philosophy. JAR and all those people believed it to such an extent that they gave up their lives for it.

So now Rhonda Burn is selling millions of more books, peddling the same drivel, and making millions of dollars in the process. Her philosophy is trash, nothing but wishful thinking, and as shown above it can have dreadful consequences. So no, you cant stop the stupid.