BWTK - Do you believe in Karma?

[xanthian]

Karma is a great concept. It fits into the same space as religion; making people nicer than they realistically need to be, with the promise of granting them immaterial rewards at an unknown time. (i.e. a free way of making people go out of their way to be nice).

Having said that, however, there's certainly some inconsistencies.

If Karma is really some sort of cosmic force, and you believe you can run out, how can you quantify how quickly it fills up? If you have $1 to your name, and you use all of it to feed someone else for a day, or you're a billionaire and you feed a family for a week for $7, which one grants more karmic rewards?

If the second one grants less because it costs you less comparatively, then there's this huge inconsistency. Obviously, it's best to shed yourself of all material wealth in order to score higher on the karma metre. But in doing so, don't you therefore reduce your capacity to have the power to do more?

In the above scenario, say the billionaire donated it to charity, in order to go work as a missionary somewhere. Now all his money has been spent by the charities. If he'd invested it instead, and say 10 years down the road had 3 billion dollars, and donated 2 of those to charity, clearly this is a case where he's scored more karma for a worse outcome.

And, ultimately, if you're a lazy arse like I am, only really wanting to make money, get a place, and retire ASAP, but you're a generally nice person, does that make your selfish goals in life override your pleasant demeanor?

And where does any of this encourage you to attempt to live a relatively enjoyable life?

[Bendito]

You think too much

[TORQ]

Originally Posted by Crumpetman

Another non believer here. It's society not the universe that punishes people for shitty behavior.

I would believe in our fine society, esp. PSB + others as they contributed towards your Ducati

[Stephan]

I do believe in karma to an extend...I try to help people as much as I can and if it comes back to me, so be it, but I don`t expect it to come back to me...

[g0zer]

when i think of karma, i think of africa.

The 1994 genocide in Rwanda may have resulted in the murder of a million Tutsi and moderate Hutu, while the mass killings in Burundi, especially in 1993 when some 200,000 Hutu and Tutsi were killed, and the current ongoing war in the Congo appear to have the potential to escalate into another round of genocide in the region.

Burundi 1972 Genocide Resources - Prevent Genocide International

Burundi's first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993 after only 100 days in office, triggering widespread ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions. More than 200,000 Burundians perished during the conflict that spanned almost a dozen years. Hundreds of thousands of Burundians were internally displaced or became refugees in neighboring countries.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publicat...k/geos/by.html

But within months Ndadaye had been assassinated, setting the scene for years of Hutu-Tutsi violence in which an estimated 300,000 people, most of them civilians, were killed.

BBC NEWS | Africa | Country profiles | Country profile: Burundi

Burundi’s ethnic civil war is nearing a conclusion, according to the country’s president, Domitien Ndayizeye. Now entering its 11th year, the conflict has killed at least 300,000 people and forced more than 1 million to flee their homes.

Burundi - Genocide - Ndayizeye - Worldpress.org

INTRO: Burundi's army is forcing thousands of people
out of their homes and into resettlement camps. The
government says it is a necessary step to stop rebel
attacks, but international aid groups say the
resettlement is illegal and inhumane. Jennifer Wiens
has more from V-O-A's East Africa bureau.
TEXT: Tens of thousands of civilians living on the
outskirts of Burundi's capital, Bujumburu, are being
rounded up and moved into camps by the Burundian army.
Over the past three weeks, between 150-thousand and
250-thousand people have been trucked away from their
homes and into what the government is calling
"protected villages."
The resettlement operation comes in the wake of recent
attacks on Bujumbura by ethnic Hutu rebels that have
left several dozen people dead. Those attacks are the
latest in Burundi's six-year long civil war, in which
extremists from the majority Hutu ethnic community
have been battling the minority Tutsi-dominated army.
Thousands of people from both ethnic groups have died
in the conflict.

BURUNDI/REFUGEE CAMPS

The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the attack that took place on Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi on August 13, 2004. Armed elements, including the National Liberation Front of the Party for the Liberation of the Hutu People, participated in this vicious attack on an already vulnerable population of refugees, many of them women and children. We extend our condolences to the families of the victims and to the Congolese government and people.

Burundi: Massacre at Gatumba Refugee Camp

[Bendito]

Care to elaborate?

[g0zer]

Originally Posted by Bendito

Care to elaborate?

i think bad things, like having soldiers come and round up and relocate you, your family and your entire village to camps then go to the camps and wipe everyone out has more to do with being born in africa instead of australia than it does with karma.

[semi]

Dont believe. I do however believe that if you're a cunt itll come back and bite you in the arse, but only because people hating on you doesnt help you much.

[Stormrider]

well if you believe in karma you must have all been good in your last life to deserve the life your living now [don't say your life is shit... it's obviously not when you view it on a world scale-ok, maybe a few people can moan but if it's that bad why do you have time for a forum]

[euphoric]

not karma per se, but the ideas of impermanent nature and detachment that comes with it, yes.

you cant control what you experience, just how you experience it.

social control, on lots of diff levels (law, family, church,society) is what keeps people well behaved. that constructed, not a mythical force.....imo.

[Speed Demon]

Absolutely.
As opposed to people who are complete arseholes who eventually get back what they deserve.
What goes around comes around.

[Cam]

Karma is just another way that people give the element of chance too much credit.

[cowasaki]

I try to help people as much as I can and if it comes back to me, so be it, but I don`t expect it to come back to me...

+1

[RAVENGSXR]

I want to beleive in karma , i have had a pretty shit couple of years being screwed over by so called "freinds" and shit best start acting right soon , coz if it dont i may be forced to give the universe a helping hand in dishing up said karma
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ok im calm now

[TORQ]

Originally Posted by Cam

Karma is just another way that people give the element of chance too much credit.

TORQ sprinkles Cam with fairy dust !!! Shaazzzammmm !!!

Thou shalt sleep sweetly tonight!

[XSorXpire]

Karma should detonate the connections of all the people who complained about the change in supporter tags and made the volunteers mad.

[NanoBear]

I suppose I believe in a way, but there's nothing mystical about it. You do good things, people notice and are more likely to do good things for you. Treat people like shit and they'll treat you like shit. Particularly in a small place like Perth, word gets around fast.

[xanthian]

Dude, you do good things, people notice, and they're more likely to take advantage of you. That's it.

From a self-preservation perspective, you want to appear to be neutral. Be a bastard, and people will respond in kind, but be good and you'll be taken for a ride.

[evilmart]

I think it's a nice conecpt, but don't believe...

There's a 'new age' theory that goes along the lines of you choose your parents. An early version of this was that this explained all the crappy things parents did to you, as they were lessons you had to learn. So no guilt for those child abusing, molesting parents right?

No matter how bad someone has been or is, yes they deserve punishment, but within reason. I think there is an element of people who are mean (for want of a better word) to others because they feel that the others must deserve it as their karma.

In addition, does the person who does good things to others believing there will be some spiritual reward, actually deserve the reward more than the person who does good with no thought on possible reward? I don't believe so, if you are a good samaritan just for the reward, you are not really doing good for goods sake are you?

[Lozzle]

I think ultimately it's the power of positive thinking. If you learn to take note of the good, then you will also be taking note of the good things that happen to you - you'll accept this good and remember it more than the bad sh!t that happens because you view the glass half-full.

I think i this day and age too many people focus on the negativities of the world (which isn't hard with all the news always being of doom & gloom) which results in them having a slightly jaded view of life. If I believed in karma then I'd be at a loss to explain why I've had a couple of truely bollocks things happen to me the past year & a half - I'm pretty certain I haven't done anything to anyone or anything that would jusitfy those experiences.

Having said all that, I gave someone good Karma on FaceBook and I got it back.