Do you believe in karma?

[gandpsmommy]

Do you believe that if you help others selflessly that help will come to you when you need it? Do you believe that if you choose not to inconvenience yourself to help others that no help will come to you when you need it?

[Lolly]

No. I definitely do not. From what I have witnessed, it seems to be the exact opposite!

[*********]

No, I don't. And here's why:

 

'for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.' - Mat. 5:45 (NKJV)

[Cammie]

Yes I do but I also believe in reincarnation. So you may not remember what you did to get the good or bad things in this life...but it is related to something in the past life!

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

Do you believe that if you help others selflessly that help will come to you when you need it? Do you believe that if you choose not to inconvenience yourself to help others that no help will come to you when you need it?

 

 

 

As a principle, yes. As a rule, no.

 

I do believe that "what goes around comes around" but just because people naturally respond that way. A person who has been known to serve others, will be more likely to be served when they are in need, just because what they have done has been appreciated. But that is not *necessarily* so.

 

Also some of the meanest, most spiteful people get every (physical) thing they need just because they have the money to buy it.

[Guest Quilty]

It is easier to help someone who you know has helped you ( or others) before.

 

I do think people reap what they sow, although it's not always easy to see clearly when that reaping happens.

[keptwoman]

Yes.

[hillfarm]

No, both because of my religious teachings as a Christian and my observations from my life experiences.

 

I have known several very dear people, salt-of-the-earth, shirt-off-their-backs types of people, who gave literally everything they had to others. And I watched those others prey upon these good people until they were picked clean, taking everything they had to give, asking for/demanding more until there was absolutely nothing left. Then they would move on to greener pastures.

 

Where was karma for them? I have actually had one of these kind hearted souls live with us temporarily until she could gather enough resources to live on her own again. The good guy ended up with a tenement type room in a rough section of town with barely enough clothes and food to keep her alive, and she eventually died due to poor health. The bad guy? Last I heard, the dead-beat son was selling his deceased mother's house (the one he forced her from) for enough money to buy a really nice bass boat, new truck, and camper.

 

So no, I don't believe in karma.

 

That said, I do believe in the Kindergarten teaching that you can draw more flies with honey than vinegar. Meaning that people will be more likely to want to be friends with you and treat you nicely if you are being nice to them. IMO, this has to do with human relationships and human nature, not karma.

[WishboneDawn]

I don't think so but I do think someone who does good things is more likely to see the good in things that others do and someone who does bad things may more readily see the bad so that something like karma may seem to happen as a result of our expectations.

 

Got that? :)

[FO4UR]

No.

 

I believe we live in a fallen world. Bad things are going to happen to everyone. I believe in a loving God who gives us free will...He allows people to make bad choices, He allows natural disasters and the consequences don't always fall onto the shoulders of the "guilty." However, He never wastes our pain. Things that the Enemy meant for Evil, He uses for Good.

 

The account of Joseph in Genesis is a good example of what I'm trying to communicate.

[jujsky]

Yes, I'm a big believer in Karma.

[ourjourneys]

I don't know that it will come to us when 'we think' we need it. I believe the good will come to us when the higher power thinks we need it. Sometimes our human selfishness gets in the way of what we need. However, I would not be opposed to money (or even school books) falling from the sky right now :)

[ourjourneys]

I agree!

Edited July 2, 2010 by ourjourneys
did not quote original poster

[ourjourneys]

It is easier to help someone who you know has helped you ( or others) before.

 

I do think people reap what they sow, although it's not always easy to see clearly when that reaping happens.

 

yes, You reap what you sow. I would be interested to hear if there is any religion that does not teach this idea.

[my2kidsmom]

well, yes and no.

I know the Bible talks a lot about reaping and sowing. The Bible does make it clear that the fruit you reap will be commensurate with the actions you have performed. It also states that the sowing you perform in this life will affect your reward or punishment in the afterlife. I do not believe in reincarnation. The Bible is very clear on this.

[chiguirre]

I don't think so but I do think someone who does good things is more likely to see the good in things that others do and someone who does bad things may more readily see the bad so that something like karma may seem to happen as a result of our expectations.

 

Got that? :)

 

You put that very well Dawn. I'd also add that I think we have the obligation to help others to the extent of our abilities, but that we shouldn't endanger our own wellbeing to help others. Our first responsibility is to ourselves, our second is to our fellows.

[Joanne]

No, both because of my religious teachings as a Christian and my observations from my life experiences.

 

.

 

Yes, for the reasons above. ;)

 

While I don't get to script or dictate karma (my last 3-4 years prove that!), I do believe God's justice is the same principle as karma.

 

On a functional level, being helpful and kind works in practical ways to surround me with (mostly) practical and kind people. Being unkind, critical and self-absorbed surrounds me with the same. (Or at least a few of them :D)

[KnitWit]

no...

 

I believe actions have consequences

[Peela]

Do you believe that if you help others selflessly that help will come to you when you need it? Do you believe that if you choose not to inconvenience yourself to help others that no help will come to you when you need it?

 

I think that is a very shallow and westernised view of a very deep concept and no, that definition of karma, I do not believe in, because it is obiously not true.

 

However when one gives, one automatically receives the benefit of giving- immediate karma. When one gives, one becomes less self obsessed, less selfish. From that space, one is more likely to attract positive energy from others.

But I think it is a deep concept that shoudl not be trivialized into "if I give, I will get back" because that might be a motivation for some, but it still isnt really a pure motivation(any more than giving in order to get into Heaven is a pure motivation). And the time scale may be huge- the returning of the good fortune may not be immediate, and it probably wont come from the person you helped in the first place, although it might.

The reward is in the giving itself- or the being willing to receive- which is the other side of giving and jsut as important. We often get stuck on one side of the coin.

 

So yes,I believe in karma as a self evident incredibly complex system of just the way the world works- but not as a simplistic do this and get that kind of concept.

[Heather in Neverland]

No.

 

I believe we live in a fallen world. Bad things are going to happen to everyone. I believe in a loving God who gives us free will...He allows people to make bad choices, He allows natural disasters and the consequences don't always fall onto the shoulders of the "guilty." However, He never wastes our pain. Things that the Enemy meant for Evil, He uses for Good.

 

The account of Joseph in Genesis is a good example of what I'm trying to communicate.

 

:iagree: What she said...

[Geek]

I think that is a very shallow and westernised view of a very deep concept and no, that definition of karma, I do not believe in, because it is obiously not true.

 

However when one gives, one automatically receives the benefit of giving- immediate karma. When one gives, one becomes less self obsessed, less selfish. From that space, one is more likely to attract positive energy from others.

But I think it is a deep concept that shoudl not be trivialized into "if I give, I will get back" because that might be a motivation for some, but it still isnt really a pure motivation(any more than giving in order to get into Heaven is a pure motivation). And the time scale may be huge- the returning of the good fortune may not be immediate, and it probably wont come from the person you helped in the first place, although it might.

The reward is in the giving itself- or the being willing to receive- which is the other side of giving and jsut as important. We often get stuck on one side of the coin.

 

So yes,I believe in karma as a self evident incredibly complex system of just the way the world works- but not as a simplistic do this and get that kind of concept.

I really like how you've put this, especially the bolded. I think there are many things that people experience that have natural explanations of which we are not yet aware, but that in the end are "just the way the world works".

[Gooblink]

Sort of, but I don't call it that.

 

It makes sense if you have the reputation of being generous, kind, merciful, peaceful, helpful, joyful, etc., that people will respond in kind.

 

However, I don't believe there's a universal law promising that as you give to the world, you will recieve from the world. That just doesn't play out based on empirical evidence. :)

[elegantlion]

I believe in sowing and reaping, but more in the light that Peela explained karma. It's not a simple pound for pound give and get thing. I see it as complex system as well.

[lllll]

..

[spradlin02]

Hindu or Buddhist concept of Karma?

 

Buddhist, very generally yes.

Hindu, no.

 

I agree with Peela with respect to her explanation of internal rewards. Very deeply embedded in western philosophy is the idea of external reward. If I accept Jesus, I get to go to heaven. The Karma that I've experienced is internal in the way Peela wonderfully describes.

Edited July 2, 2010 by spradlin02

[2cents]

I believe in Karma...to an extent. I'm not so sure there is any 'mystical or mysterious' about it. It is IMO simply that people who strive to be good and kind will be rewarded in kind. People who are negative and mean eventually will find that their life may not be as rewarding as it could have been.

[Parrothead]

I believe!

 

More along the lines of what Peela described. I do not think if I help a little old lady across the street I will get rewarded with 5 bucks or that the kid across the street will come mow my yard for the sheer joy of doing it.

[mcconnellboys]

I believe that God is always seeking to turn the evils of the world to good. When we help out, I believe that He certainly takes note of this. I don't necessarily think of good then coming to us in time of need as a "reward". I feel that those of us who tend to call on Him do so, even unconsciously, in a time of need and that He always seeks to help where help is asked.

[Mejane]

I also like Peela's vision of karma, although I must admit it wouldn't disturb me much if the jack*sses who seemed to get away with everything came back as cockroaches to be squashed.

[Parrothead]

I also like Peela's vision of karma, although I must admit it wouldn't disturb me much if the jack*sses who seemed to get away with everything came back as cockroaches to be squashed.

:smilielol5::smilielol5:

[simka2]

Do you believe that if you help others selflessly that help will come to you when you need it? Do you believe that if you choose not to inconvenience yourself to help others that no help will come to you when you need it?

 

 

I wish it were that simple :) I guess I do believe in a form of it, eventually we get our just rewards (so to speak.) But I don't think it's a tit for tat type thing.

 

Maybe I believe more in sowing and reaping? :)

[secular_mom]

I think that is a very shallow and westernised view of a very deep concept and no, that definition of karma, I do not believe in, because it is obiously not true.

 

However when one gives, one automatically receives the benefit of giving- immediate karma. When one gives, one becomes less self obsessed, less selfish. From that space, one is more likely to attract positive energy from others.

But I think it is a deep concept that shoudl not be trivialized into "if I give, I will get back" because that might be a motivation for some, but it still isnt really a pure motivation(any more than giving in order to get into Heaven is a pure motivation). And the time scale may be huge- the returning of the good fortune may not be immediate, and it probably wont come from the person you helped in the first place, although it might.

The reward is in the giving itself- or the being willing to receive- which is the other side of giving and jsut as important. We often get stuck on one side of the coin.

 

So yes,I believe in karma as a self evident incredibly complex system of just the way the world works- but not as a simplistic do this and get that kind of concept.

:iagree: I also think there is something to the 'law of attraction', though I don't think it's anything supernatural. So, we attract good by doing good and focusing on good, rather than focusing on negative things/thoughts/actions and doing negative things. Your thoughts form your reality, so if you think you suck then you will suck, but if you think you are awesome then you will be awesome- you don't doubt your ability to do awesome things like you would if you thought 'I suck' all the time. If you expect to fail you won't try as hard to succeed, if you expect people to treat you poorly, then they will. If you do good things and you expect others to do/be good to/for you, then that is what will happen. Some people can see the same scenario very differently too- if someone offers you help but makes a negative comment then one person would focus on seeing the help that was offered and another would focus on the negative remark.

[sleepymommy]

Do you believe that if you help others selflessly that help will come to you when you need it? Do you believe that if you choose not to inconvenience yourself to help others that no help will come to you when you need it?

 

That is a westernized translation of karma. I will explain the original Vedic meaning. Karma means 'action' or 'deed'. There are 3 types of karma:

Sanchita- Total sum of past karmas, yet to be resolved.

Prarabdha- The portion of sanchita karma that will be experienced in this life.

Kriyamana- The karma you are presently creating.

 

 

Of these-

Sukarma are good deeds.

Kukarma are negative.

 

The important thing to remember here is that Sukarma does not offset Kukarma.

 

You reap the benefits of Sukarma in the heavens and it also aids in your placement in your next life and you live out your Kukarma here in life. Why are some born into a life of hardships no matter how "good" of a person they are, why are some not? Living out the Kukarma helps purify us, reduce the karmic "debt".

 

Sincere prayers and faith may help to lesson kukarma (god-willing), but some things are not meant for us to understand.

 

 

 

 

Yes I do but I also believe in reincarnation. So you may not remember what you did to get the good or bad things in this life...but it is related to something in the past life!

 

Exactly.

 

No, both because of my religious teachings as a Christian and my observations from my life experiences.

 

I have known several very dear people, salt-of-the-earth, shirt-off-their-backs types of people, who gave literally everything they had to others. And I watched those others prey upon these good people until they were picked clean, taking everything they had to give, asking for/demanding more until there was absolutely nothing left. Then they would move on to greener pastures.

 

Where was karma for them?

 

It is very difficult to watch this happen and it does indeed seem cruel and unfair. I have felt the same about people very dear to me as well.

 

I think that is a very shallow and westernised view of a very deep concept and no, that definition of karma, I do not believe in, because it is obiously not true.

 

However when one gives, one automatically receives the benefit of giving- immediate karma. When one gives, one becomes less self obsessed, less selfish. From that space, one is more likely to attract positive energy from others.

But I think it is a deep concept that shoudl not be trivialized into "if I give, I will get back" because that might be a motivation for some, but it still isnt really a pure motivation(any more than giving in order to get into Heaven is a pure motivation). And the time scale may be huge- the returning of the good fortune may not be immediate, and it probably wont come from the person you helped in the first place, although it might.

The reward is in the giving itself- or the being willing to receive- which is the other side of giving and jsut as important. We often get stuck on one side of the coin.

 

So yes,I believe in karma as a self evident incredibly complex system of just the way the world works- but not as a simplistic do this and get that kind of concept.

 

Yes it is the purity of heart with which one 'gives'. Even the thought of being rewarded in the future can take away the 'goodness' of it all. When we give with no motive, be are lessening the ego-self. Lessening the "I" aids in bringing our true self/soul with "Him/Universe/God"

 

Hindu or Buddhist concept of Karma?

 

Buddhist, very generally yes.

Hindu, no.

 

I agree with Peela with respect to her explanation of internal rewards. Very deeply embedded in western philosophy is the idea of external reward. If I accept Jesus, I get to go to heaven. The Karma that I've experienced is internal in the way Peela wonderfully describes.

 

The Hindu concept of karma is often very misunderstood.

[Desert Rat]

Yes. I beleive in karma. The Bible's quote about reeping what you sow is basically karma. I'm a non-believer but I think by helping others selflessly, I gain so much more. I have seen more kindness returned to me in the last year, in our time of need and desperation, I can only believe it is because I have shown kindness in my every day life. It has come back to me.

[meena]

No. I don't believe life is a matter of quid pro quos.

[Karen in CO]

Nope.

Good and bad things happen to good and bad people and whether we define them as good or bad often changes with perspective. If you believe in karma, you tend to interpret the good and bad as being related to karma instead of their real causes or their random causes that you can't see.

[gandpsmommy]

I think that is a very shallow and westernised view of a very deep concept and no, that definition of karma, I do not believe in, because it is obiously not true.

 

However when one gives, one automatically receives the benefit of giving- immediate karma. When one gives, one becomes less self obsessed, less selfish. From that space, one is more likely to attract positive energy from others.

But I think it is a deep concept that shoudl not be trivialized into "if I give, I will get back" because that might be a motivation for some, but it still isnt really a pure motivation(any more than giving in order to get into Heaven is a pure motivation). And the time scale may be huge- the returning of the good fortune may not be immediate, and it probably wont come from the person you helped in the first place, although it might.

The reward is in the giving itself- or the being willing to receive- which is the other side of giving and jsut as important. We often get stuck on one side of the coin.

 

So yes,I believe in karma as a self evident incredibly complex system of just the way the world works- but not as a simplistic do this and get that kind of concept.

 

I agree that the way I phrased my original post was a very shallow, simplistic, and westernized view of karma. I actually have a deeper and more complex view of it myself, but I was trying to be succint (something that doesn't come naturally to me, as I tend to write in a wordy, convoluted, and involved style).

 

The reason I was contemplating it this morning was that I was trying to make a decision about whether to seriously inconvenience myself by making a five-week commitment to babysit my neighbor's 23-month-old son 35 hours a week, something that would benefit my neighbor but would be quite cumbersome for me and my children. It wasn't something that I wanted to do at all, and it was filling me with a sense of dread. We did help out and watch him for a couple afternoons this week, but it was clear that making the longer commitment would make it very difficult for us to do some of the things we needed/wanted to do for the rest of our summer break. And for some reason, watching other people's children is very draining for me.

 

Declining her request wasn't something that would leave my neighbor helpless. She definitely has several other feasible options and the means to pay for them. And the situation she is in is partly due to her own choices as to how to organize her life. But I was still feeling rather guilty and wondering if I should just rearrange my life to help her.

 

I really believe that we need to help each other in life because we're all people trying to make our way in a life that can often be difficult and filled with hardships. I want to be the kind of person who does help others, just because they are other people, not expecting anything in return or looking for rewards, instant or delayed. I was trying to figure out this morning if I was in the kind of situation in which I should sacrifice to help someone else and it would be selfish of me not to, or if my considerations for myself and my children were worthy reasons not to make the commitment.

 

Ultimately I decided that the concerns I had for my children and myself were important and communicated to my neighbor that I wouldn't be commit to 35 hours a week, but that I would be happy to assist her again for a day or two at a time if the need ever arose again. She was very understanding.

[mom4him]

I believe the Bible and it says you will reap what you sow. It also says to give and it will be given unto you pressed down, shaken together and running over.

I don't think you have control over the when or why. I will give an example:

We have always had an open home policy. We have had people, even families, live with us at different times for extended lengths of time without any reimbursements.

When my oldest son was seriously injured I pretty much lived at the hospital but be had 3 different families open up their home for me to come and rest if I needed, shower, fix a meal etc.

When he was in rehab in Denver his insurance paid for 3 wk for me to stay in the apartment there but he was scheduled to be there for 9 wks. I had no idea what I was going to do for the rest of the time. We had gone to a church a couple of times but I had not said anything to anyone about having the need of a place to stay. The day before I was going to either have to come up with rent money or move two gals came up to me and asked me where I was living. I told them at the Craig apartments. They wanted to know how much longer I would be able to stay there and I told them. They immediately asked me if I wanted to live with them for the time. I hesitated and they almost at the same time told me that they would not want nor take any reimbursement for it.

 

There are a lot of other ones I could share such as dividing my groceries in 1/2 and taking 1/2 to a family in need when I had felt the leading to do so. At the time my dh was out of work and we were living on unemployment. We never went without during that time. Both time I did this the mom sat and cried when I walked in with the groceries as they had NOTHING in the house to each, 4 young children. One time she had made a soup the night before out of the little bit of catchup they had left and had had no breakfast.

 

I believe God blesses those that bless. Yes, He blesses the unjust also but I believe that if you bless others you can then depend on His blessing.

[mom31257]

No, not at all. Even if I wasn't a Christian, I don't think I would believe it because I've seen things work out so opposite to that belief.

[Chris in VA]

I believe in grace.

 

There are times when I want immediate justice (karma?) in this world, but there are also times when I don't want to be on the receiving end of that justice.

 

And while ITA about not caring all that much when the people who act scummy "get what's coming to them," when "the people" become my son, my father, my mom, my daughter, my dear friend--then I care. Then I hope they don't get squashed like cockroaches. Then I pray for grace.

 

Realizing I'm putting Western spin on a deep concept--and realizing Karma isn't immediate and all that--so, showing my ignorance while trying to make my point, as usual.

[BlessedMom]

No

[OrganicAnn]

Karma

by Edwin Arlington Robinson

 

Christmas was in the air and all was well

With him, but for a few confusing flaws

In divers of God's images. Because

A friend of his would neither buy nor sell,

Was he to answer for the axe that fell?

He pondered; and the reason for it was,

Partly, a slowly freezing Santa Claus

Upon the corner, with his beard and bell.

 

Acknowledging an improvident surprise,

He magnified a fancy that he wished

The friend whom he had wrecked were here again.

Not sure of that, he found a compromise;

And from the fulness of his heart he fished

A dime for Jesus who had died for men.

[kwickimom]

HECK NO, but I wish there was. All of the mean, heartless people I know get ahead constantly. People who wouldnt give me a penny if my house burnt down, get thousands of dollars handed to them and they sit at home on unemployment. And there is my mother who gives every last penny she has to others, and no one ever returns the favor and she can barely make ends meet.

 

One of my last FB status updates was about how I thought Karma and Justice do not exist. :D

[BeckyFL]

No, I don't. And here's why:

 

'for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.' - Mat. 5:45 (NKJV)

 

That is true that we all have our "rain" but we also reap what we sow.

[Peela]

The reason I was contemplating it this morning was that I was trying to make a decision about whether to seriously inconvenience myself by making a five-week commitment to babysit my neighbor's 23-month-old son 35 hours a week, something that would benefit my neighbor but would be quite cumbersome for me and my children. It wasn't something that I wanted to do at all, and it was filling me with a sense of dread. We did help out and watch him for a couple afternoons this week, but it was clear that making the longer commitment would make it very difficult for us to do some of the things we needed/wanted to do for the rest of our summer break. And for some reason, watching other people's children is very draining for me.

 

Declining her request wasn't something that would leave my neighbor helpless. She definitely has several other feasible options and the means to pay for them. And the situation she is in is partly due to her own choices as to how to organize her life. But I was still feeling rather guilty and wondering if I should just rearrange my life to help her.

 

I really believe that we need to help each other in life because we're all people trying to make our way in a life that can often be difficult and filled with hardships. I want to be the kind of person who does help others, just because they are other people, not expecting anything in return or looking for rewards, instant or delayed. I was trying to figure out this morning if I was in the kind of situation in which I should sacrifice to help someone else and it would be selfish of me not to, or if my considerations for myself and my children were worthy reasons not to make the commitment.

 

Ultimately I decided that the concerns I had for my children and myself were important and communicated to my neighbor that I wouldn't be commit to 35 hours a week, but that I would be happy to assist her again for a day or two at a time if the need ever arose again. She was very understanding.

 

 

I am sure we have all been in similar situations. I think that kindness is not necessarily to be given to others more than oneself, and it is not selfish to do as you did. There is no need to feel guilty for being kind to oneself and not taking on more than one could reasonably handle, especially when the other has other options. And especially when you are the sort of person who actualyl considers whether you can help or not, and would like to in some way, but just feels like it is too much.

[Guest rubilynne4]

That is true that we all have our "rain" but we also reap what we sow.

:iagree: maybe not right away, but still we do. so maybe i believe a little of both. sometimes we get mercy, and sometimes we get what we deserve. if that makes any sense.

[MelanieM]

This place is hopping with awesome conversations today!

 

I don't think so but I do think someone who does good things is more likely to see the good in things that others do and someone who does bad things may more readily see the bad so that something like karma may seem to happen as a result of our expectations.

 

Got that? :)

:iagree:Such a fabulous point! I do think most everything in life is about perspective.

 

I think that is a very shallow and westernised view of a very deep concept and no, that definition of karma, I do not believe in, because it is obiously not true.

 

However when one gives, one automatically receives the benefit of giving- immediate karma. When one gives, one becomes less self obsessed, less selfish. From that space, one is more likely to attract positive energy from others.

But I think it is a deep concept that shoudl not be trivialized into "if I give, I will get back" because that might be a motivation for some, but it still isnt really a pure motivation(any more than giving in order to get into Heaven is a pure motivation). And the time scale may be huge- the returning of the good fortune may not be immediate, and it probably wont come from the person you helped in the first place, although it might.

The reward is in the giving itself- or the being willing to receive- which is the other side of giving and jsut as important. We often get stuck on one side of the coin.

 

So yes,I believe in karma as a self evident incredibly complex system of just the way the world works- but not as a simplistic do this and get that kind of concept.

 

:iagree:Excellent post!

 

I also think there is something to the 'law of attraction', though I don't think it's anything supernatural. So, we attract good by doing good and focusing on good, rather than focusing on negative things/thoughts/actions and doing negative things. Your thoughts form your reality, so if you think you suck then you will suck, but if you think you are awesome then you will be awesome- you don't doubt your ability to do awesome things like you would if you thought 'I suck' all the time. If you expect to fail you won't try as hard to succeed, if you expect people to treat you poorly, then they will. If you do good things and you expect others to do/be good to/for you, then that is what will happen. Some people can see the same scenario very differently too- if someone offers you help but makes a negative comment then one person would focus on seeing the help that was offered and another would focus on the negative remark.

 

:iagree:Absolutely! I'm nodding and 'yes-ing' at the screen reading your post! (I'm an LoA coach and run an LoA site... totally tickled to be reading this here!)

 

Most of my thoughts on this subject seem to be summed up well in the above quotes. I do believe that we get back what we put out, but I don't think it's as much about what you do as it is how you feel when you do it. The motives and feelings behind giving/taking have a huge impact. Also, as others have said, it's not a this for that type of scenario, which makes it very difficult to look at any one situation and see how things are being "paid back".

 

So, I do believe in karma in the sense that you get back relative to what you put out. I don't personally hold the belief that karma is something that crosses over lifetimes.

[MelanieM]

Ultimately I decided that the concerns I had for my children and myself were important and communicated to my neighbor that I wouldn't be commit to 35 hours a week, but that I would be happy to assist her again for a day or two at a time if the need ever arose again. She was very understanding.

 

I think you made a very wise choice. It sounds like your instincts were telling you this wouldn't be right, and I think it's important to listen closely to our intuition and follow it as best we can. Doing something we think we're supposed to do even when it feels wrong rarely gets us very far, IMO. I think we serve others much more fully when we honour the process and our inner guidance rather than following guilty feelings and "should haves".

[Skadi]

In my experience, most people who say they believe in karma don't actually know much about the non-westernized conception of it. Maybe if they did, they wouldn't lightheartedly chuckle that "karma makes everyone get what they deserve" so much.

 

I don't do good because I want to selfishly be rewarded for it in this life or the next. I also don't revel in other people's misfortunes out of some misplaced sense of "I know the universe is out to get that guy!" attitude. Not everyone who professes to believe in karma acts this way, but I've known so many people who have that it's completely turned me off. Whenever someone invokes "karma" in conversation, a pigeonhole starts to form. And in the words of Tim Minchin, it's almost always promptly filled with pigeon.

 

I should also mention that someone once informed me, in the most somber and concerned of tones, that the reason I had been molested as a child was because of karma from a previous life. You can guess where I told her to put her star chart. I know this is only anecdotal experience, but for me the most insensitive and rude comments from people pushing their ideology have not been Christians...it's been new agers. I wish new agers weren't portrayed so positively in our society -- either as harmless, gentle people or even as enlightened gurus who just might have magical powers after all. No one ever talks about their bumptious hedonism or the fact that many of them make a living scamming and manipulating other people. I don't understand why they're given a free pass...to get back to the original post, why should someone saying, "Well, it looks as though karma is kicking him in the butt!" should be any more socially acceptable than someone saying, "I'll be laughing my head off when he's burning in hell!"

Edited July 3, 2010 by Skadi

[kalanamak]

Not in the Eastern religion sense (e.g. Sikhism), but as a short cut for "what goes around comes around". I do believe having a reputation for loyalty, reliability, politeness, generousness, and empathy does pay off in the long run for most people.