Just today on CNN.com an article appeared on “The Secret”, the book that has taken the world (literally) by storm, describing what is commonly known as The Law of Attraction. While there is nothing new about this “Law” – it has been written for decades – what is new is the presentation and popularity in our culture.
So what is really at stake? Let’s see an example. Not long ago I heard a lady express how “The Secret” had changed her perspective, how she was going to use the law of attraction to change her health and wealth. She was excited and full of enthusiasm. It appears that she had been ill for some time and she felt that by using “The Secret”, she could attract the funds she needed to seek the medical help she desperately needed. On the surface it all seemed reasonable. You attract to you what you are looking for or what you have in your consciousness. Therefore ask and you shall receive, a fundamental principle of “The Secret” or “Law of Attraction”, should give you the results you seek.
“It should,” but here’s more to the story. It appears that the person seeking funding for health care has a long-term disability. There is no doubt that the individual is sick and needs medical attention. But as Paul Harvey would say, here’s the rest of the story. The person in question contracted the disease from him more than 20 years ago. That was not disclosed to the company through which he has a long-term disability. In his words, “if they had known that when I got sick, it would have been considered a pre-existing condition and I wouldn’t have received my disability benefit. So I never talk about those early days.”
Wow… my first thought was someone who knew they might not qualify for a benefit, but was willing to game the system for personal gain. Would they be willing to be honest and accept the consequences? Once again, let me be clear: I don’t doubt disease, I do care about the ethics of taking what may not be yours. But the story goes further.
While on long-term disability, the person in question found out that they were under investigation by the insurance company. Insurance companies seem to be quick to investigate to prevent fraudulent claims or payments. Do insurance companies use ethical tactics to uncover the truth? Probably not; however, there have been many documented claims of disability when, in fact, it was not 100% true. Does this justify unethical investigative tactics? No, but one could see how that might apply when the rest of the story is revealed.
Let’s go a little further. A person who is 100% disabled prepares for a trip to a big city in anticipation of a major performance at a world renowned venue. Wait, this is confusing, I thought that people with disabilities, especially 100%, well, let’s just say, challenged with strenuous effort. I agree. But let’s look at the facts: packing bags, traveling to the airport, boarding a plane, going to the hotel, practicing for hours (before the presentation), standing for hours (before and during the presentation), and then attending a next meeting of celebration. Doesn’t sound like someone who is totally disabled.
But there is more. How did this go unnoticed by the insurance company? Good question. One suitcase was wrapped as a gift so it wouldn’t look suspicious when it was taken out of the house. And, upon returning, the disabled person left (not from her dwelling), but some distance away, so that she could move behind the building, jump over a fence, and slip through the back door so that no one looking would know that she came back. . And what to say about the suitcases. She had them taken to another location so she could unpack them bit by bit, carrying the contents in grocery bags, again to fool any insurance investigators she might be looking for.
“I don’t want them to know that I’ve been away. Otherwise, they would follow me and use the trip against me in their attempt to deny my claim,” the individual stated. It sounds like the insurance company would claim that she could do some work, and while that might be true, she surely didn’t want them to know.
While I will say, once again, that I do not doubt your illness, I am struck by the lack of ethics and integrity involved in trying to deceive the insurance company, leading to financial gain.
But what does this have to do with the “Law of Attraction”? There are many “laws” under which we live and through which our world is governed in its daily functioning. There is the “law of gravity.” We cannot deny that. Similarly, there is another law, known to some as “You reap what you sow”, or the “law of cause and effect”. Either way, as a motivational speaker, I find that I am called upon to speak to groups about the application of this law, as I have experienced both the consequences and the benefits of its application. I speak firsthand about Choices: Negative Consequences – Positive Results, a keynote address describing the power we have as individuals based on the choices we make. In addition, the presentation, Make It Happen is a main presentation describing the practical application of the “Law of Attraction”.
What seems certain is that the laws we are talking about work only if they are consistent with other universal laws. For example, the “law of attraction” will not financially reward someone if they rob a bank, as that is consistent with the “law of cause and effect” which will result in a negative consequence for the robbery: prison. Similarly, one will not be rewarded with long-term positive results through lying.
We reap what we sow and, generally, on a universal level we have in our lives what we attract to us. In this case (I may be proven wrong, but I don’t think so), I doubt that the universe, through the “Law of Attraction”, will provide the necessary funds for the medical care this person seeks, since such attraction it would be in congruence with other universal laws. Dishonesty, unethical behavior, or lack of integrity all combined will produce a result that is less than this person’s best.
As a motivational speaker who talks about the “Law of Attraction” as well as the “Law of Cause and Effect”, I feel compelled to share with this person the truth about how these laws apply. However, after several conversations, I am quite convinced that the message will not be heard. Very often we get so caught up in our web of deception that we cannot see the truth, even when it is right in front of us. More importantly, we may not be willing to accept the consequences of changing our behavior, and at that point, the consequences, when they appear, will be more dramatic than we might anticipate. Insurance fraud is punishable by imprisonment, which is not the intended result.