New-Age Philosophy (Part 2) Bob Proctors Eleven Forgotten Laws

Stephen Leslie France, March 2010

NEW-AGE PHILOSOPHY (PART 2) BOB PROCTORS ELEVEN FORGOTTEN LAWS New-Age Philosophy: Definition When I say New-Age Philosophy, I define it as the wave of self-help books, life-coaching videos and audio tracks produced that are currently dominating the market place. There isnt anything actually NEW here, but these are intellectuals who produce lost theories, philosophies and laws discovered over the centuries, that allegedly govern the universe. I wrote a piece about New-Age Philosophy a while ago covering Self-Hypnotism and other experiences Ive had with this sweeping phenomenon. Now, I turn to examine Bob Proctors Eleven Forgotten Laws. Its a widely recognised opinion, that most people in this world are unhappy or not as content as potentially possible. I have always found this value judgement to be quite disconcerting; we are born without a choice in conception so I strongly believe that humans (as a default) shouldnt have to suffer. Some people will still argue that in the majority people are happy, but the more common conclusion likely to be heard is: suffering is just a part of life. But why should life be set at this low default standard? It may appear nave to ask this, but, is it not possible for life to be good by default? You might see these theories analysed in films, where the pursuit of happiness is one of the themes, or TV talk-shows where a survey is taken of the audiences happiness level. Unfortunately, the results divulged are always supportive toward the idea that the majority of the population arent happy. Baring this in mind, I research and enjoy investigating New-Age Philosophies; those hypotheses that have emerged as a counter-balance to the air of discontent that appears to currently cloud the world. The New-Age Philosophies that I review in this article are Bob Proctors Eleven Forgotten Laws the name equating to the fact that theres nothing NEW in his videos they are simply ideas that have been forgotten. Proctor was also part of The Secret - http://www.thesecret.tv/, a film revealing the law of attraction and how it can lead to a happy and successful life, so I was interested in what he had to say ELEVEN FORGOTTEN LAWS These videos are a series of lectures (just over ten minutes each) that cover eleven laws, supposedly, forgotten by humanity. The chapters were listed as follows: 1. The Law of Thinking 2. The Law of Supply 3. The Law of Attraction 4. The Law of Receiving 5. The Law of Increase 6. The Law of Compensation 7. The Law of Non-Resistance 8. The Law of Forgiveness 9. The Law of Sacrifice 10. The Law of Obedience 11. The Law of Success

New-Age Philosophy (Part 2) Bob Proctors Eleven Forgotten Laws

Stephen Leslie France, March 2010

Although Eleven Forgotten Laws wasnt as inventive and adventurous as The Secret since it was a series of straight-forward lectures, it was very educational. The first element I noticed was Bob Proctors generalisations like [most people wont question why they believe in the ideas they project] or [our ancestors ideas are built into our genes making us believe certain theories with no reason behind it]. These assertions appeared true to the best of my knowledge; however, many people would battle against them. Some might say hes being too broad. Others might say that nothing is innate in human nature and that society governs our ideas and mental construction. Another issue that an audience might have with a lot of these New-Age Philosophers is there propensity to draw God/Religion into their ethos. If the viewer isnt religious, this may offend or conflict with that persons ideas, prompting them to ignore the messages in these short videos. I have a natural urge to fight New-Age Philosophy since the first time I came upon Anthony Robbins (Life Coach) in my teens. I felt the ideas he presented were so obvious, I was annoyed that people were paying 100s for it, when I felt I could give the same advice. Fact is, there is so much more to these philosophies than I have been able to comprehend thus far, that my understanding is probably very basic by comparison. Therefore, I fought against my compulsion to debate these videos and decided to just assimilate everything no compromise, no arguments just accept everything Bob Proctor presented as FACT, hoping for some enriching advice. The following is a basic summary of what each law means: 1. The Law of Thinking Thinking positively, to attract positivity. 2. The Law of Supply The supply is always there, whether it be wealth you desire or a few beers. There are no limitations so its up to you to take the opportunity. 3. The Law of Attraction Being attractive mentally so the universe will correspond positively to your will. 4. The Law of Receiving To willingly give, and graciously receive. 5. The Law of Increase If you want to increase positive things in your life, youre to praise the people you respect and show gratitude about the things you possess. In other words, if someone you know is deserving of respect, say it out loud. 6. The Law of Compensation

New-Age Philosophy (Part 2) Bob Proctors Eleven Forgotten Laws

Stephen Leslie France, March 2010

Recognising that what you receive is directly proportional to your input to the world. 7. The Law of Non-Resistance Stop resisting resistance: dont fight against resistance, but let it go. This was suggested by Bob Proctor to be one of the most important laws. 8. The Law of Forgiveness Dont react (use of habit), respond (use of thought), to let go of bad deeds and the bad actions of others. Suggested to be the most liberating of the laws: the example given is one cannot progress with bad thoughts (guilt and resentment being two of the most destructive emotions). They weigh you down and can fester causing serious physical illness and disease. 9. The Law of Sacrifice Understanding that sacrifice is giving up something of a lower nature to obtain something of a higher nature, thereby making room for the new positive increase in your life. 10. The Law of Obedience Obedience (and there has to be ardently desired discipline in this obedience) to these laws and every law in life this is a necessity i.e. you have to want these laws to work - I was pleased to hear him quote my favourite poem INVICTUS to illustrate obedience and its necessity to the fabric of these laws. On the video, it is claimed that the obedient servant will become the master. 11. The Law of Success Emulate nature, because nature always succeeds (I thought this was a brilliant example because its so true nature never fails) so concluding, work in harmony with the laws presented here and you will succeed. CONCLUSION The fact is, if people did live by these laws religiously, the world would be a better place. Still, funnily enough, this would be the same if the whole world lived by a specific version of the one of the positive religions, because they all have good lessons at their foundations. I suppose the difference with these Eleven Laws, is religion goes on faith, but these laws are actions you can practice and hopefully, see tangible results. If there is one huge universal conclusion I can draw from my studies in New-Age Philosophy conducted so far, its that interpretation has significantly more power than reality. When I was younger, I would have believed it was a 50:50 ratio. Now, I would argue that interpretation of your personal reality is 80%, and reality itself is 20%. The best and most simple example I can think of is a haircut: If Miss X goes for a change of haircut and concludes that it looks dreadful, yet hypothetically, the reality is she is far more attractive, Miss Xs reality is still THE reality.

New-Age Philosophy (Part 2) Bob Proctors Eleven Forgotten Laws

Stephen Leslie France, March 2010

The key motto projected by these New-Age Philosophers is Thoughts Become Things.