I Don’t Believe In Karma Except I Do

Karma. You've heard of it. It is often explained as "what goes around comes around", or if you do good, good will be done to you, do bad and bad will be done to you.  I don't believe that Karma is a magical force in the universe that punishes or rewards people. I don't believe there are any guarantees that anyone will get what they deserve. Why didn't Mother Theresa win the lottery so she could feed millions? Why is Charles Manson still alive? If Karma were real, it would be pretty inefficient.

I do, however, believe that if you do good deeds your are surrounding yourself with other people who do good deeds and they'll be there when you need them. The same would go for jerks. The only people who tolerate jerks are other jerks, so the jerkiness comes back to them.

I frequently "balance" my karma after having a bad time. If I get mad and have to yell at someone (whether they deserve it or not) I frequently double back and am nicer to everyone else. I personally don't believe we'll have to answer for our actions after this world, but I do believe we have to live with them now. Comedian Father Guido Sartducci (check out the video below) use to have a bit where he said he thought each day of your life you made money, then you had to use that money to pay back for each of your "sins" and if you had any money left over, you get to heaven.  That's not far from where I'm at. I just believe a good erases a bad and keeps you mentally healthy. The one caveat is, the "goods" disappear quite quickly so you never really have a surplus to work from. You could call it penance if you want, but I really just go back to the word "balance".

So in the end, that guy that shanked your tires may never get his tires shanked and just because you saved an animal it doesn't mean that someone will be kind to yours, but if you try to do well, you will surround yourself with others who do the same, and you will find yourself happier than you've ever been.

Good karma to you, whether you believe it or not.