A Younger Voice

Thousands are raving over the recent Oprah Winfrey show about the "Secret."

So here we go again. People are looking for easy answers and they grasp at the latest new-age solution to timeless challenges in life.

This latest marketing ploy -- surely, somebody is making money from it -- boils down to the idea that positive thinking can lead to success.

That's hardly groundbreaking news. Oprah is telling us we can magically overcome barriers, such as debt, friend and marriage problems, by positive reasoning and believing.

Many people are buying into it, though, including some in Cameron County. They behave as if they are on to something new.

It's really just the latest flavor of the month, promoted on TV, through the Internet and other media, with the celebrity status of Oprah Winfrey as the marketing hook. It's the same formula that works so well for certain books. Oprah's stamp of approval guarantees hundreds of thousands will be sold, regardless of content.

"Secret" is nothing more than a watered-down, commercially packaged version of some lessons one can find in the Holy Bible. From Matthew 7:7: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."

We Americans are so gullible and so eager for the latest easy answers. We fall victim to all kinds of ploys designed to separate us from our money. If you are an email user, you certainly know what I'm talking about.

The next time you turn on the television set, check your email, or even talk a friend about the latest miracle solutions, just remember the old adage, "There's a sucker born every minute."