Power Thought Debunked

"I am perfect just the way I am."

I read this in a little book called Power Thoughts by Louise L. Hay. Hay is an inspirational writer specializing in little quotes to help people deal with life.

I think she's dead wrong. I think she's filling people's heads with total nonsense. Why? Because we aren't perfect just the way we are. We aren't deserving of love or riches or self-affirming platitudes. I don't believe we need to repeat "I suck!" as we gaze into our mirrors each morning, but we sort of do.

We should daily acknowledge what is good about us (we are loved by God and people, we have talents and gifts to use to contribute to the world around us and to praise God with, we are alive), but we absolutely must acknowledge that we do selfish things everyday. We let people down. We make excuses.

Take for example Luka Rocco Magnotta. A few weeks ago he filmed himself killing and dismembering a Chinese student in Montreal. Louise L. Hay is telling Magnotta to remind himself that he is perfect just the way he is. Does Hay believe this? Why should Magnotta tell himself this? Is this the path to recovery for this monster? Is it just that he didn't remember how perfect he was when he murdered Mr. Lin? I don't think Magnotta is beyond redemption, but affirming who he is is not the road to recovery.

Today's Daily Affirmation from Hay's website is "Today I don't have to fit into anyone else's emotional atmosphere." Gosh! I don't want any of her disciples crossing my path today - they can be as grumpy as they want to be.