August 7, 2008
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Karma
Do you believe in Karma?
There are a few forms of karma:
- A literal Karma – There is karmic energy in the universe and like Santa, it knows if you’ve been bad or good. So you’re incented to be a good person.
- A metaphorical Karma – You don’t want to do bad things to people; because what goes around, comes around. So you try to be a good person.
- A psychological Karma – If you do bad things to people, your subconscious will remember and sabotage you somehow. So you want to be a good person, so you don’t end up punishing yourself.
I have to run so I can’t elaborate, but I am curious what you all think…
Comments (71)
Psychological Karma, maybe, but not karma in general, or as a religious belief.
Yes, in one form or another…
I’m a big believer in what goes around comes around. And perhaps the psychological karma has bitten me in the butt a couple of times, because I can never seem to do wrong without it screwing me up somehow.
All of this is for myself. Doesn’t mean I don’t see people getting away with things all the time. And I don’t believe in a literal Karma, that’s beyond my belief system.
Karma is a bitch. Either way, you do bad, it’s gonna come back to get you!
Metaphorical perhaps. I think some people blame themselves and bad karma for things that would happen anyway.
I definitely believe in a psychological karma, at least for myself. I have a bit of a guilty conscience and while it might not affect others, it tends to eat at me if I wrong somebody, to the point where I think I turn on myself a little.
As for metaphorical or literal karma, I’m undecided.
There are times I think I do. But it would seem bad things happen to good people too often for me to justify that belief to myself.
Ay Metaphorical. You reap what you sow.
I’ve seen it in action too many times not to believe. What goes ’round comes ’round.
Metaphorical.
instant karma’s gonna get ya. gonna knock you in the head.
~ john lennon
I don’t believe in Karma, but I do believe you should do to others what you would like done to you. (which means not doing things that you won’t like done to you)
i didn’t believe in karma until recently.
yes i believe in karma, in all form. but more so metaphorical.
sort of like an energy boomerang?
Yes, I believe in Karma. There’s just way too many coincidences of Karma happening to me to pass it off as a coincidence, if that makes sense. I think I believe in all types of Karma.
i don’t beliefs.
Yeah. No such thing as karma.
And I for one am thankful there’s not.
“Incented” is not a word, that’s what I think.
I believe metaphorical karma… but only to an extent.
right now I’m wearing a necklace made of “karma beads”. It’s supposed to bring good luck. which doesn’t fit in to what karma means.. but I still where them all the time.
No Karma, but I do feel “we reap what we sow.”
I used to believe in some version of Karma, although I had never even considered your choice number three, but now I do not. Good is often unrewarded, while evil prospers. Where is the karma in that?
“Incented”…interesting wording.
the myth of karma is a luxury only available in developed countries. if karma existed millions of little african babies would get raped and die of starvation.
i’m not against people believing in it, because it’s a good philosophy to have. it’s just patently false.
Not really.
Yay! I love this topic!
I always tell people that I TRY to believe in karma.. and that I’ll always stay in the “TRYING” mode. I can’t say for certain that I believe in karma, because I don’t know if it exists or not. I think it’s ideal to believe in the saying “what goes around comes around.”
I don’t really believe in psychological karma. People have different views on what is MORALLLY right. We tend to not do things that we think are morally wrong. Because.. actions follow beliefs. So, the chances of us doing something bad when we think it’s wrong are not that high (I would like to believe). It also doesn’t make sense to me that we would subconsciously punish ourselves for something we decided to do despite what we believe. If that made any sense..
Also, I would like to point out something. The way you put it makes it sounds like another religion.. (I don’t think it’s a religion itself): “We don’t want to do bad things because we fear of hurting ourselves (psychological karma). We don’t want to do bad things because we fear that bad things will happen to us (metamorphical karma).” Only literal karma is not really based on FEAR (like fear of God). Literal karma works with incentives.
I don’t really know. I don’t fully believe in karma because I don’t know whether it exists or not.. but that doesn’t matter because I choose to try to believe in it.
I think if fear is the reason why people don’t do bad things, then the people are very worthless (might be a strong word, I guess, maybe I should use ‘shallow’). People should do good things because they want to. People shouldn’t do bad things because they believe that they’re bad.
Wow, I just spit a whole bunch of nonsense. Heh.
@suzyQ_darnit - if you believe in reincarnation, then maybe the good will be rewarded their next life.. or maybe they were punished this life for what they did the their previous life.
Heh.
I’m not really a Buddhist.
i call BS on the first point, but I’ll give you #2 and #3
No but doing bad things will gain you a bad rep. A bad rep will haunt you, even if you don’t know about it.
i believe in Karma… but sometimes, i think it’s a little slow. it’d be better if it was a bit faster.
I believe I’ve probably experienced a little bit of each one…. every week.
= )
I think it’s most definitely psychological.
no, i don’t believe in karma, but i like the idea.
I’m somewhere along the lines of metaphorical karma. This is based on the thinking that if one does bad things, you tend to piss people off who might retaliate or get yourself in situations where you are more at risk for bad things happening to you.
Sorry to bother you John, but WHAT THE HELL is the new “views” button (right next to the eprops button)? What does it mean? If it’s supposed to mean the number of times the post has been viewed, then I’m not so sure it’s all adding up for me (comparing # of views w/ # of footprints and etc). :-S
@Famous_Amos_1987 - check out thexangateam blog. i believe that views doesn’t count bots… that’s probably the disparity.
I do… but then I also believe life is what you make of it… and if your life sucks you can’t pin it on karma…
@john - Thanx
That was a QUICK reply!
I don’t believe in karma, per se. But I do think everyone eventually reaps what they sow. Even if it comes back to bite one after death.
You gonna do an after-featured post?
Haha.
@fullmetalbunny - what is an after-featured post?
In general, yes. Similar to your # 2 “metaphorical Karma”
Life has taught me that all of our actions and even an omission of an action will have a bearing on what we become and what we reap.
@john - Haha, you know, that post someone writes after they’ve been featured. It can be funny, like Nori’s, or it can say stuff like “Being featured is a responsibility and a burden.”
I wrote one after I was featured the first time. It was just some silly celebratory entry. TheTheologiansCafe suggested once in a comment that people should follow-up being featured by posting their most controversial piece. Hahaha.
I don’t believe in any mystical force which goes around punishing bad behaviour and rewarding good. That’s rubbish. On the other hand, I believe you get out of life what you put in – that if you’re essentially a good person, people respond to you in kind and it perpetuates generally positive things. The idea that if you’re saintly, you’ll never have anything bad happen to you is nonsense – look at some of the things that have happened to actual saints, for instance. And one of my close friends is one of the nicest guys I know, and right now he’s having a hellish time with both his father and step mum battling various forms of cancer – and this after having lost his mum to it. There’s no way he has somehow earned that kind of pain through some cosmic reward system.
Where does the karma chameleon come into play?
I do believe in karma. I am a firm believer that what goes around will come around.
I’d like to believe in karma, and I think I do.
One thing I’m certain of though, is that propagating good is well… a good thing, hehe. People should strive for it either way, without the expectation of a reward… but it’d be nice if one good turn really did deserve another.
I think karma happens naturally, when you provoke good. People will react well to you, and in turn, good stuff happens to you.
Wow, how scientific of me, haha.
I think karma is a lovely idea that is without the least basis in truth, unfortunately. Too many evil people get away with being bad all their lives and too many good people never get much reward or respect for their goodness. And I definitely don’t believe in reincarnation.
Furthermore, I think it is nobler to do good (or avoid doing ill) for its own sake, not because you believe the energy or whatever might come back to you.
I really think that morality and decency are their own rewards.
I’ve managed to convince myself that karma is linked to whether or not I put my grocery cart back into the corral in the parking lot. Even during a blizzard I will push my empty cart across the parking lot to the corral.
I’m inclined to agree with these as general principles.
Just like religion, the idea of Karma was used to describe a coincidence and/or something happening to you [good or bad] as a payment for something that you’d done previously in your lifetime. [This sounds very shallow, I understand allow me to elaborate a little and circumvent the entire point.]
Religion was an explanation of the unexplainable. “Why is the sky blue?” “Why do we stick to the ground” “Why are some people bad and some people good?”
Well, those don’t seem like difficult questions, do they? Well, because we’ve reasoned and observed our way through some of those problems using science, which is a big reason why religion is starting to deteriorate.
Karma was just an explanation [and in some cases the basis of a belief system] of why bad things happen to people. But not only on the level of religion, but on all levels, for every action, there will be an equal and opposite reaction. But regardless, the idea of karma is a prevalent theory in worldwide society, and depending on its application, it can affect people’s behaviours, much like you entail in your second explanation of Karma. But here’s the catch.
Karma doesn’t really exist, its not a true force of nature and thusly, it has no physical affect on your actions, however like most ‘myths’ [I use the word myth as it was intended, not as the 'modern' definition] it does affect people, but here’s how it works.
Morality is system of behavior laid down by a person’s society, and if you step outside the boundaries you know and understand you did. You were taught what was right and what wasn’t right while you were child, and depending on the society, the child would be disciplined, and perhaps inclined to believe that if you step out of bounds, bad things will happen to you. Not only didyour parents said so, but because there’s something inherently good or bad about what it is that you’re doing and you will be punished accordingly, but thats not the case. The universe isn’t going to smite you down if you kill somebody, it doesn’t care. But you will.
Like you described in your third explanation you understand what is wrong and what is right, and it might even plague you in your mind, but that has no bearing on what the future brings. But as soon as something bad happens, as it always does, because going through bad times are absolutely inevitable due to the force of probability, you will blame karma. But, “The coin has to come up tails…eventually”.
A person will recognize that something bad is happening to them, and realize [make real] that its payback for what they did before. Even though it was purely left to chance. That’s why bad things can happen to good people, because what happens to you is never based on what you’ve done before in terms of probability. Like a coin flip, if you flip heads 20 times in a row, the next flip, has an equal chance of coming up heads as it does tails. Common sense, no? So a person only believes that what happens to them is based on what they’ve done because morality exists, and morality is nothing without consequences. “Don’t kill people? But why? I mean, whats the big deal?”
Well, its illegal, but Karma in this case.
When the cops catch you, its karma.
And if you cheat on your taxes, and earn an audit, its karma.
But what if you secretly worship satan, and a piano falls on you? =O
Well, that too is just a matter if ridiculous odds, but the satan worshipper wouldn’t feel that way after he got out of the hospital. =P
Z
Ever notice good people believe in karma, so when they do bad it bites em in the arss? Bad ppl don’t believe in it and never get punished either!
I believe in all 3. But I sometimes believe that flukes happen… like when bad things happen to good people. Because the universe is full of flukes and unexplainable things. This comment is not eloquent.
Personally, I believe Karma as a word used to keep balance in life. One fault I have found is the what comes around goes around. I have a cousin who keeps thinking that she has bad Karma because she did wrong to one other, she deserves to be treated as such. So it being, you want to be treated a certain way, treat others the same, but there is no guarantee the treatment will be equal and there are no guarantees what wrong you did will be justified here on earth.
I do believe that God is my judge and jury, what wrong I get away with here on earth I will not get away with in heaven. I do believe that God forgives my sins, and I do believe the wrong in my life God can turn to good. Karma just has a way of making you feel bad for the things you did wrong, but what about when you didn’t do anything wrong and bad still happens?
Then that’s just life.
if I believe in any of them, it’s metaphorical Karma… which is mostly since it’s like what the Bible says about things… that you should treat people the way you want to be treated.
I believe in all types of Karma. Trust me, you’ll get yours if you screw up!!!
Karma is one of those ideas that becomes problematic for some.
Karma is a good idea as far as “what goes around comes around” or the Golden Rule are concerned. That’s why you see various versions of these in all cultures across the globe and through time.
Based on my experiences though, ask many Western believers in karma to explain child abuse and the response is often something along the lines of “You must have done something really bad in a former life.” That’s blaming the victim and it’s wrong.
It’s almost as if they have an index card mentality, meaning that if you ask them to explain ____ (fill in with negative experience of your choice) through _____ (karma in this case), they will over attribute everything to ____ (karma) and “reach” too far with it.
There are other factors at work and many other concerns — a solid general education coupled with learning about EQ, logic, abuse, and learned empowerment are far more instrumental. Living a life well examined is demanding.
If people are going to study karma, it’s wise to study the origins and trails of different schools of thought on the subject and then make up your own mind about it.
I haven’t found it necessary to make karma any more complicated than “what goes around comes around” and consider such wisdom in tandem with other wisdoms such as (but not limited to) be cafeful with whom and with what you associate. If you do all the right things with all the wrong people, you’re not going to get the same results as if you do them with healthy astute individuals.
Obviously, I don’t believe in the literal interpretation of karma but, using your descriptions, there are some metaphorical and psychological applications, yes.
I believe in a metaphorical karma. That I should do right by others because I want others to do right by me. I try to live by it, but everybody slips up sometimes.
I think of Karma like if you do something bad to someone, you might (in this life or another) experience the same thing, not as a punishment, but to teach you, so you understand WHY you shouldn’t have done that. I guess that’s the metaphorical kind, but it emphasizes the idea of Karma as a cosmic teaching tool rather than a reward or punishment.
I do believe in it.
I’m a very firm believer of karma.
Sorry, I don’t do karma. But I am wondering why my pulse won’t show up. Been using it for eons, and suddenly, nada. Thanks, if you fix it, lol.
Yes, I believe in karma, What goes around comes around. The Beastie Boys can’t be wrong.
I’m pretty sure those distinctions are artificial.
Let me elaborate. It would take a Western mind to come up with such fine delineations. This is a product of Greek philosophy – we break things down into their components, finer and finer.
But Karma, as it was originally understood, just posited that there was some process out there whereby our actions had consequences. The hows and whys were not considered relevant.
no, i dont. but i think it’s a good concept.
i kind of believe in metaphorical karma. when i treat someone badly, it tends to come back to haunt me. it’s probably more GOD than “karma” but sometimes it’s just simply that if i’m a bitch, well, people aren’t gonna like me very much and will be probably bitchy right back to me!
*sees someone trip and fall*
Karma!!
Nope.
why do the stupid xanga survey thingies end after the first question?!?!?! UGH!!!!
the third one seems the most plausible/commonplace form but i sorta believe in the first one
I honestly believe eventually u learn your lesson. But often, people r not smart enough 2 connect the dots.
karma exists for those who believe in it. everything that happens gets interpreted by what we believe. i.e. “by the grace of God,” karma, bad luck… it almost doesn’t matter what exists/doesn’t exist. our beliefs and perceptions seem to matter more than any “Truth.” our beliefs helps us get through life - be it to pray to the rain god or to invest in stocks and bonds. i personally believe that nothing exists — except for beliefs and perceptions. any “balance” in the Universe is just math. probability.
There is a philosophical battle between Karma and Sin. The Christians believe that Jesus can override sin by being forgiven and the Karmalites believe that the wheels of justice is inevitable.
Naturally some sinners hope there is not hell and pray that Karma is make believe. The good folks tend to believe in Heaven and Karma in various degrees. Nonetheless the concept of hell and Karma is hard to prove scientifically and thus is more relegated to philosophy.
Balance of Nature is more in line with the philosophy of Yin yang. Doing good in society is more of a Confuscius concept/philosophy. And not caring about Karma is more of a feature of Apathy…..
karma is my best friend, so i get away with everything