William Bloom: Do people really create their own reality?

This article came to me in an email some time ago, and surfaced tonight, so perhaps it is time to pass it on. I am not (the guys are not) totally in agreement with everything he says about the background of incarnation, but I am fully on board with his objections to the way New Age “thinkers” over-simplify the causes of suffering — and in the process often diminish their own empathy. I have had many an unsuccessful argument to that effect!

 

DOES EVERYONE REALLY CREATE THEIR OWN REALITY?

William Bloom ‑ Cygnus Magazine

Over the years it has been an honor for me to advance and defend new age and holistic spirituality. I love its open‑mindedness, its embrace of metaphysics and the way it combines spiritual work with healthcare. But I have also despaired at times about its apparent lack of morality and compassion when faced with the realities of people’s suffering.

This coldness is often explained away with half‑baked ideas about how energies, karma and the laws of attraction work. This often reach a peak of disturbing smugness when a new age ‘philosopher’ faced with cruel suffering says authoritatively: ‘People create their own reality’ or ‘Their soul chose it ‑ its their karma’ or ‘Everything is perfect in God’s Plan ‑ you just need to perceive it differently’. People who say such things seem to have no idea how smug and nasty they sound. Nor of the hurt they cause. Continue reading William Bloom: Do people really create their own reality?