[JHL]

But I am having a hard time understanding this judgemental moral high ground you are so determined to stand on.

Thats a good question, one I've also been asking myself. At the outset let me say that I dont argue or even discuss things like this for the sake of it. I'm genuinely trying to understand the topic - and myself -better.

There is something that disturbs me about the way people have embraced LoA. I perceive a lust for materialism, I perceive people embracing a powerful, useful tool, but using to go down the wrong path.

There are two reasons I think this upsets me:

1 - I am probably projecting my own lust for materialism, which I recognise as wrong, but cant accept it as my own. I am probably rebelling against myself and feeling frustrated that I continue to desire and pursue materialism when I really want to try live a more meaningful life (being less vain, less self-centred, giving more, being of service more, helping more)

2 - I look around at the world today, and in my (subjective) view, it doesnt look good. While I cant help but see the world through my own filter I still cant help but feel that in many ways we are proceeding in the wrong direction. Now, subjectivity aside, I think its a reality that there is much wrong with the world. We have moved into the age of instant gratification and materialism. The earth is suffering for it, and so are we - and if we carry on in the same direction, there are going to be unpleasant consequences (as Al Gore made mainstream).

In other words I'm conceding that the argumentative nature of my posts here are ultimately a projection of my own feelings of frustrations about myself. HOWEVER, I ask you to consider my points in the context of the larger picture. Look at the state of the planet, and consider how the marketing of topics such as LOA feed into the decline.

Is that a dim view to take - that it feeds the decline rather than empowers people to better their lives? Maybe it is, but what might bring to light the validity in what I'm claiming would be if someone went through all the posts here and calculated the percentage of people wanting to use LOA are asking for assistance in matters of materialism, as opposed to matters of personal growth (the two are NOT the same).

People have smugly convinced themselves that material abundance is their birthright, otherwise you have a SCARCITY consciousness (like mother teresa or Ghandi, God forbid). Lets see if 100 years from now the planet agrees with this abundance philosophy.

Our lives are meant to be a quest for fullment after fullfillment. To constantly set bigger and bigger goals, to make more and more of a difference to the world.

Make more of a difference to the world? We certainly are.