Most people essentially accept the idea of bad luck. Put another way, there's typically an inherent belief among people that sometimes things negative happen regardless of how honorable or hard working a person may be. Most people are quite sympathetic when bad fortune strikes someone they know, perhaps because on some level they know it could easily be them suffering such a fate. This isn't to discount the notion of individual responsibility in how one's life should turn out, only that it's essentially assumed that not everything that happens in life is within one's control.

The ho'oponopono spiritual practice rejects the idea that bad things happen arbitrarily. In fact, ho'oponopono states that negative life circumstances come directly from people themselves. To put it another way, ho'oponopono says that people are responsible for all the bad that happens in their lives. This is not a mainstream approach, mostly because it embraces two notions: that life is not arbitrary; and that humans have a great deal of control over their circumstances. This sort of thinking goes against the generally accepted belief that humans are limited beings subject to the whims of a powerful universe.

Ho'oponopono is actually a method that's been practiced for generations. Ho'oponopono in its original form is a Hawaiian technique that's used as a conflict resolution between groups of people. This original ho'oponopono form has been altered in a way that allows for connections between an individual and a spiritual force. This offshoot method of ho'oponopono is known as Self Identity Through Ho'oponopono and is practiced and taught on an increasingly wide scale. It is this ho'oponopono form, Self Identity Through Ho'oponopono, that states people are entirely responsible for their experience; equally important perhaps is that this ho'oponopono form says that humans can change life circumstances for the better.

While it's true that people continue to be critical of the ho'oponopono method, growing numbers of people are now embracing and using ho'oponopono. Evidence exists that using ho'oponopono will reverse elevated blood pressure levels. There are also myriad claims made by individuals that ho'oponopono has helped them in numerous different ways. Some people claim that ho'oponopono healed health problems. There are also claims that ho'oponopono significantly improves life quality overall. And still others claim that ho'oponopono allowed them to heal others. Though it may sound like it's a religious form of some type, ho'oponopono is actually secular. Ho'oponopono does not emphasize worship or spiritual penalties for acts performed.

Neither does using ho'oponopono assure someone of material wealth and a pure state of bliss. People who regularly practice ho'oponopono will be the first to tell you that the practice requires a consistent effort. But they go on to say that taking the effort results in multiple positive benefits.