Will We Ever Leave Behind the Five Dollar Word, "Manifesting"


When I was a boy on the farm I imagined another life, one where I dressed in a suit and went to an office. There was everyday for 15 minutes on the radio what we would now call an inspirational thinker or philosopher. His talks were not about religion but about being happy and successful. One talk started out, "Today I'm going to tell you the secret to success, to having and achieving what you want in your life." After stringing out the intro for several minutes to fill the 15 minutes and drawing in my interest he revealed the secret. It was, "You are what you think about." The word in religion, manifesting, has so it seems to me something in common with this. 

When a college student I signed on to sell pots and pans door to door. There I learned about what is called in higher levels of thinking, manifesting. It is to will yourself, your mind and brain, to think of only one goal and push aside all other interests or responsibilities. There were other sales people with little personality or skill going for them that were very successful. They doggedly followed leads and knocked on doors until they made sales. 

The link uses Mary Eddy Baker, founder of the Christian Science faith, as an example. She taught (in my understanding) that each person has the ability to will themselves to be well. Doctors were of no use when you could heal yourself. This heal-yourself-medicine was so persuasive her denomination grew by leaps and bounds in the 1950's. A huge church was built about a block from where I live but was abandoned about 20 years ago. It was replaced with condos. In my rural farming community in Iowa there was a Christian Science family. The manifesting of Christian Science was big until it wasn't.

Donald Trump is one who is said to believe he can will things to happen, or change history, toward what he wants. Perhaps he believed, or maybe still believes, he can will the cause of his defeat to cheating in the vote counts. Now he seems to believe he can will victory even while himself causing setbacks in support. 

In this period of skepticism, it seems like manifesting a cause and effect that is created simply by one's brain and not supported by sound evidence would be on the decline. I'm not sure that it is. Millions of people will themselves to believe there is an invisible being looking directly at them individually. They will themselves to believe this invisible being wrote history and rules in a Bible.

Their reality in one manufactured and maintained by forcing out other conflicting information. It still works for some of us, but not for all. 

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