Do you believe in Karma?

I don't believe in karma in the sense that there is a hidden force that hands out justice. It's a misunderstanding based on the idea that every action has a reaction or that matter can't be destroyed or created, believe those things and it becomes plausible that the same is true for justice.

The idea is pretty offensive if you get into the detail of it, especially if you're talking about terrible things happening to babies. What exactly did Ian Watkins' victims do (presumably) in their previous lives to warrant the sort of treatment he subjected them to? More to the point, if you believe that some kind of "karma" was at work and it was some form of justice being served up, surely that means you believe he was acting as a servant of justice therefore his actions are excusable? Clearly that's not true, his crimes were utterly appalling. I'm just unsure how anyone can believe in karma in these sorts of cases.

Then take Hitler, widely regarded as one of the most evil men in history. Did "karma" pay him back by cornering him in a bunker so that he committed suicide? Surely that's not enough punishment given what he did. So let's assume karma is going to affect him in future lives. What sort of punishment will pay for his sins, for the millions who suffered and died because of him?

I think the only way karma could exist would be if we are living in a simulated/scripted reality. Maybe life is a form of fiction written by some unknown intelligence. Everything that happens has been predetermined, programmed. In those circumstances then maybe our author has written a story where justice is served equally upon all.

Seems unlikely though.

You would never know. How do you measure what's Karma and what isnt?

To believe in karma you ideally need to believe in rebirth. That's where people are going wrong.

Karma simply means cause and effect. If you treat others badly, you will likely get stabbed in the back eventually.

But say it doesn't happen, that doesn't mean in a future life you won't suffer. Karma isn't instant, it can take a lifetime. There aren't "bad" people, people just do bad things. And just because they look like it's all good for them, they could end up worse off later. For example, a racist anti immigrant person may well end up an immigrant in a future life.

I like to believe in it as it makes me feel better, but whether it happens, I don't know.

Though saying that, I was bullied by a colleague and they did get their comeuppance so maybe it does work.

I don’t believe in karma.

I believe in karma, and that generally you get out of life what you put in.

One of my favourite examples of this was in the very first few years of my teaching career. I was being badly bullied by the deputy head, who then went on to become head after her predecessor retired.
Things came to such a head that I quit, getting a large financial settlement, equivalent to about 8 months pay. An absolute fortune at age 23/24.

About a year later I heard on the grapevine that this woman ended up being "escorted off the premises" after they discovered "serious financial irregularities."

I plug her name into Google every couple of years, and as far as I can ascertain, even with pretty significant deep-dives, she's never worked in education again. She was only perhaps in her late 40s/early 50s, so nowhere near retirement age.

To me, that's perfect karma.

I get great comfort from my belief in karma

For me it means I can be horrible to total strangers and walk away knowing they deserved it.

I dont believe in karma at all.

I don't. I consistently put others before myself and go out of my way to help people, even strangers. I don't do it for any reward like karma, I just can't bear the thought of someone needing help and not getting it. But life is more often than not a struggle for me.

Examples of why I don't believe...

i. Just after Christmas, a lady I didn't know posted on a FB group that she had a pigeon in her garden unable to fly and asked what to do. When she learned the nearest animal sanctuary was an hour's round trip, she was reluctant to take it there. I ended up taking it there and two weeks ago the sanctuary rang to say it was better and ready to come back to my town and be released.

While I was inside the sanctuary, someone drove into my parked car and drove away!!! Gee, thanks karma!!

ii. My abusive arsehole of an ex-stepdad, beat me black and blue from when I was aged 6 to 16. I ended up having a breakdown at 16 and spent a decade on Prozac, then years of counselling to get over the abuse. Essentially having 25 years of my life marred by him. Police couldn't do anything when I reported him for historical abuse and he's lived the life of Riley, loads of money, and a long life, he's 80 this year. The wanker deserves to rot.

So no, I don't believe in karma.

Had a SIL who was a complete and utter bitch to me, bordering on bullying. Someone pointed out to me that she was most likely jealous. Upon having had enough of her and sending her to Coventry over 10 years ago, her life has literally fallen to pieces. She had an affair, now divorced, on and off with the so called boyfriend, nearly homeless, most of the family refuse to speak to her. Even her sons were embarrassed by her behaviour.

I refer to this situation as Karma, I can’t stand the sight of her. She had the cheek to tell my hubby, her brother, that it’s time we talked. I explained to him that she hasn’t changed, her own sister has nothing to do with her, their mum apologised to me for her behaviour. This may sound callous but the only way I deal with this is she’s dead to me. She’s a drain and a negative influence, absolutely vile.

Yeah this.

Apparently I'm supposed to be learning all these lessons from being treated badly, and treated worse when I try to address being treated badly in the first place. While those who do it continue without second thought.

I think karma is often a kind of confirmation bias.
If someone has done you wrong, you look out for and enjoy any evidence of their come uppance.
I worked with an absolute bitch who made my job untenable after years of effort on my part. She then went on to bully numerous others whilst sleeping with a senior manager.
She left and went to work for a very corporate business, where she was let go for making a pass at a senior manager. That made me laugh.

I don’t believe in ‘karma’. It makes me laugh though when the folk who bang on about karma seem to forget that their idea of karma will catch up with them too.

Forty years of good deeds = 8 quids worth of free gin?

Not sure that's the right exchange rate for karma.

Oh dear op
did you really not understand what I’m trying to say

if your SIL were here, in guessing her view would be that you did and you deserve karma

Not necessarily karma, but I do go along with the positive/negative energy thing. I try to be a nice person and not do anything bad, because I do think if you do something bad, something bad may happen to you.

My MIL could be an awful woman (though I've read of a lot worse on MN). Made me feel I wasn't good enough for her son, and she was nasty to me when I was dating him. Only became a bit nicer once DGC arrived. She died a slow and painful death from cancer before she was 60. Her son, who I eventually married, was a chip off of the block and was emotionally and financially abusive. A very selfish man towards me and DC, but Mr Niceguy to others. He too died before 60 from cancer. Probably a coincidence, but I do wonder if their negative energies affected their health.

I wonder why some people are born lucky and sail through life without incident. Often, the nicest people I know have had one tragedy after another.

The saying 'things happen for a reason' is absolute rubbish (just read the news).
We are all responsible for our own lives and mistakes but some mystical kind of karma does not make sense.

Karma? No. I’ve seen too many awful things happen to decent people.

I do believe though that, unless you are an actual psychopath, doing awful things to other people comes from a place of deep unhappiness and self loathing. And whilst these people may look, at least on the outside, like they are “living their best life” consequence free, I don’t think that is true. I think they can pretend but, in the dead of the night, when it’s quiet and you have nothing but your own thoughts? They know they are not good people and they hate themselves even more. Don’t know if that’s karma but do I think it would be an awful way to live.

And she’d probably have her own view on why you deserve “karma”

that is the thing with karma… both parties involved presumably see themself as the “goodie” and the other person who deserves “karma”

You sister in law may say something along the lines of

“alienated my brother from the family by being extremely controlling, always ruined family occasions by being argumentative and antagonistic, always tried to put other people down by telling us what a good wife and mother she is”

No that's not Karma that's terrible bad luck . Karma is when others have treated others badly , screwed them over then hit their comeuppance.