Do you believe in karma?

[lumberjim]

Originally Posted by an email my dad sent me

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.

There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

'I want to repay you,' said the nobleman. 'You saved my son's life.'

'No, I can't accept payment for what I did,' the Scottish farmer replied waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel.

'Is that your son?' the nobleman asked.

'Yes,' the farmer replied proudly.

'I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of.' And that he did.

Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the same nobleman's son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia.

What saved his life this time? Penicillin.

The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill .. His son's name?

Sir Winston Churchill.

Someone once said: What goes around comes around.

I do

[Juniper]

Absolutely. I've seen it in action far too often.

[glatt]

No, not as an outside force.

But I do think that if you go around hating people, you will get hate back, and if you go around being nice to people, they will be nice in return. A positive attitude does absolutely pay off, just as a negative one tears you down. It's more of a feedback cycle than anything else.

[smoothmoniker]

snopes says nope.

[Sundae]

The above is an urban myth. [ETA - beaten to it]

And no, I don't. I pay lip service to it, because it's an amusing conceit. But I actually believe it as much as I do step on a crack, break your mother's back.

Animals look for patterns, it's how we learn.
Coincidence helps us make patterns where none exist.
Karma is a lovely idea, but not a reality, if luck exists we make it ourselves.

[Juniper]

I didn't think the story was true - I've heard it before, maybe as a Paul Harvey thing. I'll have to dig up the one about Kraft Cheese.

But I do believe in Karma.

[glatt]

Now, Kama Sutra, on the other hand, is something I'd like to look into a bit more. In fact, before making my mind up about it, I'd like to really study the matter.

[lumberjim]

ew...i just realized that the email was a lead-in to a chain letter. I'll kick his ass for that.

....actually, i sent him the youtube link to that kid getting pwned by the rear bumper

[Aliantha]

I believe in Karma. Absolutely what goes around comes around. If you're a dickhead, dickheads are attracted to you (must be why you like me so much Jimbo). If you're nice, nice people are attracted to you.

[TheMercenary]

I do, but not in the sense that most people believe it. Most people believe it is something that happens in this life. Actually it is something that happens in the next life.

[jinx]

I do, but as glatt said, not as a force but as the natural flow of energy. Immersing yourself in negative/positive energy brings negative/positive outcomes. Also known as luck.

[regular.joe]

Absolutely.

[piercehawkeye45]

Nope. Some assholes get everything they want in life. Some assholes get fucked over. Some of the nicest people get everything they want in life. Some of the nicest people get fucked over.

If we take a small sample, especially ones that pop out at us, and focus on those we can find numerous examples of "karma" but when you look at a larger sample, it seems to even out.

There is a saying for good and bad karma. There is a saying that every nice action has its consequence. There is a saying that nice guys finish last. Doesn't seem to be any grand connection.


Also, I don't believe that if you are nice to someone and you are treated nice in return is karma, it is simply playing a game. If you are nice to a bunch of assholes they will take advantage of you. If you are nice to a bunch of genuine people, they will be touched by your niceness and want to be nice themselves.

[lumberjim]

Thanks, Doogie. You've certainly got it all figured out.

[Aliantha]

I think you can be nice to people without being taken advantage of.