Some of this is not new. The concept of a positive attitude and thinking still lingers in many of our cherished values. In fact, elements of this belief can be traced through Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations to the Victorian concept of deserved wealth and self-help. It remains today embedded in the dialogue between left and right - at least in Europe (except, of course, for the karma bit).

Whereas most Victorian capitalists believed the wretched and poor were wretched and poor because they did not work hard enough, drank too much, and fornicated too much, none of them, as far as I can see, had the temerity to suggest their condition was based on as intangible a concept as karma and past lives. Neither did they suggest it had anything to do with the Universal Life Force.

God was evoked, but generally as a punishment for not trying. The belief in hard work did allow one an attempt at remedying one's lot. Work harder man! With drink or fornication, one could make an effort to desist. Self-discipline young fellow, self-discipline! (I mention males, as females generally only officially began to exist around the beginning of the 20th century). Established religions' efforts were often aimed at supporting the above, however misguided.

I found Dr Chopra's ideas rather flimsy and a bit too easy. All very well for these who apparently were making a tidy bundle from this 'philosophy'. Comfortable justification for their success and material abundance? Let us take the question of health, for instance. The idea that good health has nothing to do with access to adequate and quality health care seems to fly in the face of post-enlightenment reason. It also contradicts sound science.

Despite notions of karma and past lives, antibiotics work on any body to which they are administered. Surgery removes tumours regardless of any alleged shenanigans in a patient's previous life. Good sanitation and timely inoculation prevent the spread of disease whether or not karma determines people deserve it. Prompt admission to hospital in the case of sudden illness and access to quality care can make the difference between life and death, and the difference between grieving loved ones and relived loved ones.

Even if you were the biggest rogue in your last life, those close to you love you in this one. My point being human intervention and effort make a difference.