Why?

[seo1]

Why is it that many people on this forum rely on self-help books and Oprah-like techniques in order to progress their personal development? These techniques are based in money rather than truth and personal power. There seems to be a lack of reliance on the connection to the One through the self and others. I see many people posting responses to others dealing with these sort of self-help techniques and I can't help but wonder why they are aren't relying on the intuition and internal compass of themselves and others. These Oprah-esque techniques seem too manufactured to be of any consequence. Any thoughts on this trend and why some are riding it?

[Angela]

Everybody's exactly where they should be, and doing exactly what they should do. If you wish to rely on your intuition and your internal compass, that's perfect! And if you wish to listen to Oprah that's perfect, too.

You got a beef wid dat? You're not making people wrong, are you?

[Rockchick26]

You need to be taught something in order to know it. Or rather,shown how to utilize what is already inside you. But you wouldnt know about it until someone told you. Sure Orpah gets rich off anything she does,but in the end she is helping us to help ourselves. Thats basically all self help is,tools that help us help ourselves.

[Angela]

Originally Posted by Rockchick26

You need to be taught something in order to know it. Or rather,shown how to utilize what is already inside you. But you wouldnt know about it until someone told you. Sure Orpah gets rich off anything she does,but in the end she is helping us to help ourselves. Thats basically all self help is,tools that help us help ourselves.

Yup, Oprah and Rockchick are one and the same. Sometimes Oprah points me towards interesting things, and sometimes Rockchick points me towards interesting things, and if I'm smart enough to pay attention, I can get something valuable out of it.

By the way, thanks, Rockchick, for so often giving me something valuable, and for being so courageous and diligent and unstoppable and beautiful. Oprah, if you're out there, thank you, too.

[NightSpirit]

The One is a popular person or source and is the subject of much interest and study. Information on the study of the One is written in books and some books make money. Should talk of the One be hushed or discouraged?

The methods and framework that some people come up with to encourage or guide others in discovering the nature and the qualities of the One all lead to the same end. You should feel blessed if you have drawn closer to the One without help or structure.

But be careful if you try to define or describe how you improved your connection with the One by self-reliance and intuition. Someone might call that description of what you did a "technique'.

They are just sharing their information on a greater level to the most people possible and it makes money because people are hungry to know the One.

[wolfgang]

Originally Posted by seo1

Why is it that many people on this forum rely on self-help books and Oprah-like techniques in order to progress their personal development?

Because we have lost our way? I know that it's very recent that humans needed self help material. My favorite title for one was "Stop Improving Yourself and Start Living". It does seem like too much with thinking we don't know how to live our lives to the point of needing a bunch of books to become natural.

These techniques are based in money rather than truth and personal power.

Not sure what you mean by 'these techniques' and based in money? like when Tolle says be in the now - that's based in money?

There seems to be a lack of reliance on the connection to the One through the self and others.

from the material I get, this is exactly the message I hear. we need to rely on our ability to be one with Life and that is also by connecting with others.

I see many people posting responses to others dealing with these sort of self-help techniques and I can't help but wonder why they are aren't relying on the intuition and internal compass of themselves and others.

well, no one can really change another. we each need to heal ourselves. can you see it as people connecting and sharing? which is what you say is lacking? you say there's a lack of connection to self and others - but what are these post responses? They are also a connection to others and ultimately to self since only you, as yourself, can change or heal.

And then, aren't some posts describing ways to find intuition and internal compass?

These Oprah-esque techniques seem too manufactured to be of any consequence. Any thoughts on this trend and why some are riding it?

manufactured techniques? from Oprah? It seemed to me that Oprah was hosting people that are into spirituality. And they, to me, are rehashing (not manufacturing) what has been writen before and making the word alive, if you will. Like Tolle can tell us in our current language what Jesus was saying. Or Dyer can tell us how the Do Te Ching makes sense now.

I guess I don't see this trend of Oprah-esque techniques you speak of.

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by seo1

Why is it that many people on this forum rely on self-help books and Oprah-like techniques in order to progress their personal development? These techniques are based in money rather than truth and personal power. There seems to be a lack of reliance on the connection to the One through the self and others. I see many people posting responses to others dealing with these sort of self-help techniques and I can't help but wonder why they are aren't relying on the intuition and internal compass of themselves and others. These Oprah-esque techniques seem too manufactured to be of any consequence. Any thoughts on this trend and why some are riding it?

I have to agree with Wolfgang and suggest 'we are lost'. However, I think there is much contradictory information and confusion arising out of this 'spiritual search' which renders truth a passing fancy.

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by Rockchick26

You need to be taught something in order to know it. Or rather,shown how to utilize what is already inside you. But you wouldnt know about it until someone told you. Sure Orpah gets rich off anything she does,but in the end she is helping us to help ourselves. Thats basically all self help is,tools that help us help ourselves.

I'm confused with your post.
How can someone else show you how to utilize what is inside you? How can anyone else know what it is inside you? Can you give an example of how this works?

[Rockchick26]

Originally Posted by Angela

Yup, Oprah and Rockchick are one and the same. Sometimes Oprah points me towards interesting things, and sometimes Rockchick points me towards interesting things, and if I'm smart enough to pay attention, I can get something valuable out of it.

By the way, thanks, Rockchick, for so often giving me something valuable, and for being so courageous and diligent and unstoppable and beautiful. Oprah, if you're out there, thank you, too.

Wow!! Thanks Angela! For a second there i thought you had to have been talking about somebody else cuz i don't see myself as courageous or unstoppable at all LOL Thanks to you too cuz i think you've helped me more than i've helped you

[Rockchick26]

Originally Posted by Maguru

I'm confused with your post.
How can someone else show you how to utilize what is inside you? How can anyone else know what it is inside you? Can you give an example of how this works?

Well simply put,anyone can know what is inside anyone because we're all human. And we have the capacity for anything,we just need the water to make the seed inside us grow Its just like anyone teaching you anything...sure the material comes from an external source (a book,a movie,a teacher) but YOU are responsible for learning it,understanding it,and implementing it into your life.

[coLLege kid07]

Originally Posted by Maguru

I'm confused with your post.
How can someone else show you how to utilize what is inside you? How can anyone else know what it is inside you? Can you give an example of how this works?

You can't "know" it...but you can lead them to the door to "find" it.

[Mato Kinze]

Originally Posted by Maguru

I'm confused with your post.
How can someone else show you how to utilize what is inside you? How can anyone else know what it is inside you? Can you give an example of how this works?

Here's how I see it:

There's three types of Knowledge - That which we know we know, that which we know we don't know and that which we don't know we don't know. By listening to others' perspectives on Life, Living, and Being, we occasionally run into something we didn't know we didn't know. That moves it to the realm of knowing we don't know it and that is where development and growth have their opportunity.

Everyone knows something you don't know you don't know. Or at least everyone knows they don't know something that you may or may not know you don't know. Therefore, all arguments, perspectives, and beliefs have value to those who listen.

[Remiel]

Originally Posted by seo1

Why is it that many people on this forum rely on self-help books and Oprah-like techniques in order to progress their personal development? These techniques are based in money rather than truth and personal power. There seems to be a lack of reliance on the connection to the One through the self and others. I see many people posting responses to others dealing with these sort of self-help techniques and I can't help but wonder why they are aren't relying on the intuition and internal compass of themselves and others. These Oprah-esque techniques seem too manufactured to be of any consequence. Any thoughts on this trend and why some are riding it?

I have no clue what an oprah-like technique is so I'll pass on commenting on that.

Why do I rely on self-help books... Hmm... Simple answer? I don't. I do read them to gain insights from them. The way I see it these people have learned things that I have not experienced. Why should I not read them? Why should I ignore the truths and value other people have gained for themselves? Now I understand that everyone is different which is why I don't expect what worked for one person to work for me.

The more complicated answer? Its one of my talents (yes another "self-help book" strengths finder 2.0). I have input as one of my talents. Even more than that I "absorb the written word like a sponge sops up water" (SF2.0 words). For myself my input talent means to me that I collect ideas. I harvest them and absorb them. This is probably related to another of my talent themes Ideation. I see a web of truth when I read things. When I see something that strikes me as true I will usually realize I've seen this in 2-5 other books, resources or even people telling me things that they've learned. This is how I know when I've found an idea that has a whole lot more merit to it. When multiple people talk about the same thing it gives it another measure of credibility to it. This is not to say that I blindly accept what others say as truth. I have to test it myself (a third theme of mine, activator). I have to do it to fully understand it. To turn my knowledge into understanding.

So to sum it up. The more I read the more knowledge I have. The more knowledge I have the more ideas I can connect. The more ideas I connect the better I understand it. The better I know and understand it the easier it is to do it. Which leads to an even greater level of understanding which then leads me back to gaining more knowledge.


It would be like knowing E=MC^2 and yet not understanding it. My math knowledge says that C^2 means C*C so E=MC*C. I understand that much. Now the more I understand / apply E=MC^2 the further into relativity, or whatever branch of mathematics this is, I can get. Which means more knowledge, more understanding, more applying which leads to yet more knowledge and more.... well you get the picture .

[SonoranBob]

Originally Posted by seo1

These techniques are based in money rather than truth and personal power.

Does something automatically become evil or superficial if money changes hands?

If people can get paid for waiting tables or digging ditches, why can't they get paid for helping others become more enlightened?

The fact that some people promote their teachings or follow the teachings of others out of confused or selfish motives doesn't invalidate the teaching. The fact that a teaching is enjoying some fleeting popularity or buzz doesn't automatically make it superficial. The fact that a teaching can only be related to by particularly smart, erudite people doesn't automatically make it profound; in fact, I submit that any teaching that a simple man can't relate to fails the test of validity.

The fact that some people revere the teacher and give their power away to the teacher doesn't invalidate the teacher, at least not unless the teacher seeks that out and encourages it.

Somewhere on this planet, I'm sure that someone's got a little Eckhart Tolle shrine. It's not Eckhart's fault. It's just human nature. People have all kinds of appropriate and inappropriate responses to things.

--Bob