It’s not hard to find people who believe in “karma” or good luck. For example, they claim donating to charity makes good things happen as if there’s some sort of supernatural power keeping score on the universe. I’m the type that wants to see proof before I believe it and this appears to be an area where there isn’t any clear proof one way or the other but for some reason I tend to believe karma is real.
Just last weekend I bought something at the store and the cashier gave me too much change. It was only 36 cents but I told him he gave me too much change and gave it back to him. Later that same day when I was paying my greens fees at the golf course I found a golf club I had lost the previous week. The golf club was worth a lot more than 36 cents too.
Was it karma? Was some supernatural force looking after me since I had done a good deed? Heck if I know. But it’s uncanny how things like that seem to happen. You do something good and something good happens to you. It doesn’t always work out like that but things like that happen often enough that I notice. And maybe that’s proof enough.
Don’t worry. I’m not into “crystals” or any other New Age type of stuff. I believe in luck but I pretty much believe people make their own luck for the most part by recognizing opportunities and taking advantage of them when most people either don’t see the hidden opportunities or are too lazy to act on their ideas.
This belief guides me to make a sincere effort to treat people fairly. It’s always in the back of my mind that if I don’t treat someone fairly, it will come back to haunt me at some point in the future. Granted there are jerks who try to steal from me and who make ridiculous demands. And I won’t rehash the lying jacka$$ who basically started a smear campaign in a failed attempt to ruin my reputation and run me out of business. Sometimes I’m not so nice to people like that but I’m not perfect.
It’s apparent by the way some people treat others that they don’t seem to care about “karma” and that’s fine. To each his or her own. What do you think?
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13 Comments
Robert
I guess on some level I believe in karma but I don’t need karma to treat people with respect.
It just boils down to my upbringing and morals. Do unto others what you would have them do unto you.
Thats all I need to do the right thing, regardless of karma.
[David,
Good point. I don't need karma to treat people with respect either. I like to sleep well at night.
Robert]
I know what you mean about karma, I had a very similar experience with giving back change. In fact, when I went back to correct the mistake the person behind the counter at first refused to accept that I was over-changed. It took an effort to give the money (10 Euro) back.
[Cindy,
I had to convince this cashier too. He insisted he hadn't given me too much change but I had given him 4 cents so I would get an even amount of change and that's not what I got. When he looked he saw had punched in X.40 instead of X.04 and so he had given me 36 cents too much.
Robert]
I don’t believe in any supernatural crap, but I do think you have to lie in the bed you make. And humanity has evolved a way of paying back the people who do good or bad in kind. So that’s kind of like karma, but there’s scientific reasoning behind the happening - no mystical mumbo jumbo.
If you lost your golf club at one golf course and then found it at another (one you had never played before) - now then I would tend to agree that there was some supernatural force at work, but since I assume it wasn’t - it’s just coincidence.
Quite simply, mathematical probabilities playing themselves out. You’re an honest and ethical guy, so returning money to others is going to happen more often than not. You lost the golf club at the course, so the odds are it’s still there, ready to be found. Occam’s Razor in effect.
[Steven,
I don't believe in any supernatural crap either. It 's just strange how often these "coincidences" seem to occur. Of course it was the same golf course but I've lost clubs and never found them the same day let alone a week later. They tend to disappear into other people's golf bags or something.
Robert]
It’s a simple biblical truth called, “Seed time and Harvest time.” You reap what you sow into the world, leaving us each responsible for the outcomes in our lives.
Here’s my problem with Karma: everything’s payback; there is no forgiveness. It is incompatible with a loving, forgiving God, such as in Christianity (my personal religion of choice).
[Kevin,
I see your point (and I'm no religious expert but I am Christian) but the previous comment cites a Biblical reference so there is at least some disagreement on the compatibility of karma and Christianity. I don't see why you can't believe in karma and still forgive people too.
We all know the law of reciprocity and it's importance in marketing. Maybe karma is some kind of "universal reciprocity." Anyway, thanks for your comment.
Robert]
Speaking of karma, that lying jackass you’ve written about previously is getting a big dose of negative karma payback right now.
He has resorted to using a pseudonym, and it looks as if his “products” business has practically dried up. Now he’s mostly focused on a wholesale spamming operation which he promotes as a “franchise” opportunity, and which mainly spams Craig’s List for himself and others. Deplorable stuff, really.
So as for karma, yes, it certainly exists, although perhaps as opposed to a metaphysical thing it is actually an internal guilt mechanism that “wakes up” and spanks us. (At least that might fit in with Christianity.)
It also goes to show that staying on the good side of karma (ie, integrity) has worked well for you.
[Yeah. I don't pay much attention but I noticed he's on his third domain in a few months, is using a pseudonym, moved to a foreign country, and basically looks like he's starting from scratch. None of it makes any sense. Why would a thriving internet business with such name recognition, a top ten ranking for a highly competitive search term, and a ton of products and services just disappear and start from scratch? It makes no sense at all so something must have happened. I could care less what it is. I can only imagine.
But you can only lie, treat people in general (and especially customers) like trash, and basically be a pompous jacka$$ for so long before it finally catches up to you. I just hope he gets what he deserves...and there's no hidden meaning in that. Maybe he is finally getting a dose of "universal reciprocity" but it's not my place to decide who deserves what. I leave that to a higher power.
P.S. I sure wish his interns would quit spamming my blog with BS comments about his products that don't work. He knows damn well I won't approve them so why the he!! does he have my blog on the list his interns use? Talk about a two-faced loser. Bitch & moan about real customers trying to get some support, call them spammers, and then turn around and spam my blog.]
Well I don’t believe in this stuff at all, I don’t believe in doing good things because I will get good things in return. I believe if you want to do something good then just do it for the good of it.. Not for getting something in return. I believe that we make our own luck and nobody gives it to us. Luck is something people talk about as an excuse for there problems.
Karma is not a Christian concept, it’s a hindu concept. It has nothing to do with payback, or the good you’ve done in this life coming back to you. You guys have been watching too much “My Name Is Earl”.
Karma is an important part of life and In my opinion is only learned over time. You can only appreciate the irony so many times of good vs bad karma in your life before just giving into the theory of Karma.
“Karma is not a Christian concept, it’s a hindu concept.” Thats true!!!
Hello Robert,
I miss posts like this… Been a month now since your last one! I’m sure you’re just fine and focused on your goals — but it would be great to see the occasional post…
Of course, now that football is back, that might be asking too much!
Best regards,
tom
[Tom,
Yeah, I know it's been a while. I'll start posting again...some day....hopefully soon. Hope all is well in Deutschland.
Robert]
I don’t quite know if I believe in Karma, but I do believe that you reap what you sow. If you are looking to enrich the lives of others, your life will be enriched; however if you are looking to lie, cheat, and steal your way through life, those qualities will be your ultimate demise. Life is about building relationships, so treat people better than you would like to be treated and it will return to you a thousand fold in ways you couldn’t imagine.(like finding your golf club)
“Karma” besides the research or talking about it whether it’s true or not..,
It is important and something great which insists people to move with others through love, grace, justice.., etc however the belief of Karma directs indirectly the human to be human to some extend as you what mentioned.
Its really a good and different from general posts, which refreshes me to surf the sites further with interest.
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