Religion, The Confidence Factor and The Secret

I'm not particularly religious, however, many highly successful people are. Religion by it's very nature requires an active imagination. I believe religion is a way to define goals and principles which invokes the empathic circuit. As David Allen indicates in "Getting Things Done", when we solve problems without thinking about them in a structured manner, solutions outside of our principles do not come to mind. In this aspect, religion is quite interesting. Nothing is more fraught with imagery and principles than a sermon delivered by a true believer. This type of self confidence is very intimidating. Many people dislike making others uncomfortable and retreat instead of following the path of their true purpose.

From a spiritual point of view, Nelson Mandella says it best. Substitute God with your beliefs in the following passage and you will see the powerful imagery at play.

The Confidence Factor
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are we not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.

There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates others.

SOURCE: A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson
(as quoted by Nelson Mandela in his inaugural speech, 1994)

The Secret
Recently the book and DVD "The Secret" became extremely popular. Although this video gives a pseudo-scientific explanation of how to live life on purpose, from a spritual point of view. The premise relies on the existence of the spirit world to faciliate the manifestation of thought. It is a cookbook explaining the addage "watch out what you wish for, you might get it." The interesting aspect of this book is that focusing on a negative thing (such as ending a war) actually promotes it's existence. Focusing on something else, such as smiling people in the areas affected by the war, will eventually eradicate it.