Karma....believe it or not???

binxeo

So I am curious, had a lot of bad luck lately, benefits cut, some mix up with the social, still hasn't been cleared up so still living without, barely. Car was broken into, someone tried to steal it but didn't and other stuff. Everyone keeps saying, Karma will see is right!! That this run of bad luck will end and we will get some good luck soon. We help with charity and anyone that is need, friends, family and even people we don't know so well. Guess I just don't know why we are getting so much bad luck. I wouldn't think we are bad people and I don't think we have ever done anything that bad to get such bad luck.

So, what I am wondering is has anyone had a run of bad luck and did it turn around. Do you believe in Karma. How do you think it works? Am I mad for hoping for some good Karma soon.:rolleyes:

MungBean

Personally I dont believe in this Karma stuff. If something is gonna happen it will happen and the only relevance it has to you or your current run of luck is what relevance you give it.

Having said that there may be something in keeping a positive attitude and grabbing what little bit of good luck you get and using it as an excuse to pick yourself up.

Shít happens, try not to dwell on it or take it personally. You get bad luck and you get good luck so regardless of whether Karma is bullshít or not bad luck doesnt last forever and eventually you'll catch a break.

nyarlothothep

While there is objective good and bad luck eg being born rich=good luck, we make our own luck it would seem, if Deren Brown is to be believed. There's no such thing as karma as a mystical force that rewards good or bad people. What you put out into the world will be given back but there are no moral obligations which are inherently attached to this, for example the asshole businessman will become rich because he focuses his efforts in a particular field to make money, therefore input-->output-->karma? Similarly the artist if they're good at promoting themselves can become famous. Being open to opportunities, working hard and generally being open with people leads to an increased liklihood with respect to rewards.

However I understand this is difficult as bad luck reduces one's enthusiasm to go out into the world and use it, once bitten, twice shy etc. But the other option is to have no luck or bad luck. Random things happen which are objectively good or bad types of luck, the odds of them happening again and again to one person are unlikely though this happens too since there have been billions of people in existence. The odds are its probably not you.

As another example, there is thing called the Monty Hall paradox, basically it was a quiz show in which the contestants were asked to pick a door, behind one was a goat, behind the other a car. They had the option to switch their choice if they selected one door or the other. Those that selected twice, ie made the switch were more likely to win the car. Therefore this would be further proof for the fact that searching for opportunities and taking them leads to further opportunities and hence the sense of luck.

Morag

Sounds like you are looking for some Dharma to balance out what you think is Karma.
It's up to you it's your life, go do something to help others which will make you feel better about your life.

Danniboo

Sharrow wrote: »

Sounds like you are looking for some Dharma to balance out what you think is Karma.
It's up to you it's your life, go do something to help others which will make you feel better about your life.

Did you read the OP? They already do charity work and help people they know and don't know so well, so you can understand why they feel they're getting a raw deal. OP I personally do believe in some sort of Karma like sometimes things do happen that are a bit of a co-incidence, make you feel better etc. I brought my youngest sibling to a concert before she really wanted to see as a pressie and got lost on the way to the venue, so I hailed a taxi and followed him there, he charged me a tenner. On the way in there was a tenner sitting on the ground;) Chin up OP, things will turn around soon x

thefeatheredcat

You actually have a really unique opportunity in all this.
While you have helped others you can get a better sense of feeling of being in other people's shoes, like those you have helped in the past to get a better understanding of what that help meant to them or how difficult it is when you don't have certain things or people to rely on for help.
The mix up of SW can give you an idea of the stress and hassle like having been denied SW or learning how others cope that are outside the system, those who don't have a car and can't afford the bus, things like that.

I do believe in Karma, but I also believe that it's not that simple, and that doing good things in order to provide a good result defeats the purpose if there's an element of selfishness or specific purpose or causality being sought. There's a lesson in it all too, and one you might find is that those you have helped in the past may have an opportunity to help you in response to your situation, and some may not.

That and you might find that help may come from places and people you would not expect and you never know that along that journey you might be inspired a little more by others.

I don't know if that makes sense, but it's no harm to be reminded of difficult or challenging situations that test the person you are and can show you growth in different areas, as long as you can see that aspect.

I wouldn't see it as "bad luck" - look at it as just being obstacles and great opportunities to expand yourself and understanding of things.

Don't worry too much about it though, and don't be hard on yourselves either just go about through it all the optimism and a positive outlook; it does make a difference.

Beruthiel

binxeo wrote: »

Do you believe in Karma

No.
It does not exist. There is absolutely no scientific evidence to say it does.
Life is random and will have it's ups and downs.
Sh!t happens. There is no need to go looking for any other explanation than that.

binxeo

Beruthiel wrote: »

No.
It does not exist. There is absolutely no scientific evidence to say it does.
Life is random and will have it's ups and downs.
Sh!t happens. There is no need to go looking for any other explanation than that.

It's hard to not look for an explanation, that is just the type of person I am!! :rolleyes:

Thanks for all the replies folks.

Someone mentioned helping others with a selfish motivation behind it, "if I help this person something good will happen for me" We don't think like that,we have always helped others esp when we didn't have the bad luck we do now, it is more, looking back thinking "ok we helped people, we helped change bad situations for people,where is that for us now" Kinda thing. I would never help someone primarily to make myself feel better or get something out of it for me. I think for me I help because I always imagine being in that situation and how I would feel and that is my motivation. Cheers though, well an opportunity presented itself yesterday that might change our luck so fingers crossed for us!!!

John Mason

sometimes bad things happen to good people - no reason behind it.

it also depends on your definition of good luck - having a loving family; a roof over your head; the ability to laugh at life; to be able to find a silver cloud in ever bad situation are all good luck things in your life.

at least your car wasnt stolen, - thats good luck (i have had 2 cars stolen)

there was a mix up with your benefits but it is being sorted out - this is good luck, i have had friends leave the country because they were self employed and were not able to live on €20 a week dole.

there is absolutely no bad luck in the examples you gave

binxeo

irishbird wrote: »

sometimes bad things happen to good people - no reason behind it.

it also depends on your definition of good luck - having a loving family; a roof over your head; the ability to laugh at life; to be able to find a silver cloud in ever bad situation are all good luck things in your life.

at least your car wasnt stolen, - thats good luck (i have had 2 cars stolen)

there was a mix up with your benefits but it is being sorted out - this is good luck, i have had friends leave the country because they were self employed and were not able to live on €20 a week dole.

there is absolutely no bad luck in the examples you gave

Believe me I do realise there are a lot of great things in my life, like my family, we have our health, we do have a lot going for us in that sense. And believe me I am thankful every day for what I have. A loving patner, healthy, happy kids. And I do appreciate all of that I really do.

It's just as soon as we think we are on the up, financially something happens to knock us down again. For example the car getting broken into, yes it was good luck it wasn't stolen but there was a lot of damage done to the drivers door and the steering wheel housing, wires ripped out plastics wrecked. It wasn't covered under my insurance cause I could only afford third party, so we had to shell out money we really don't have to repair the damage. That is where I see it as bad luck. Then I was due to go back to college and I was all set and two weeks before I found out that I had to cover my fees where I had been told I wouldn't have to, so not having the money to cover the fees I have had to drop out (I was in my second year). Again to me this is bad luck.

As for the mix up with the social yeh it is getting sorted and hopefully in our favour but we have had to miss paying 3 mths rent cause this has been going on that long and it wasn't because of something we did wrong it was because of someone else. We have been told that when and if this get rectified even in our favour we would not be paid back money, so that leaves us still owing rent arrears. Again more bad luck, not caused by us but by others.

So I suppose it is constant set backs like that, where things should go smoothly and logically things should work out and then they don't. It leaves you thinking...."what the f**k did we do to be going through this" Thats all .

I am thinking it more how you see things, glass half empty/half full kinda thing. Maybe.

LegacyUser

binxeo wrote: »

Believe me I do realise there are a lot of great things in my life, like my family, we have our health, we do have a lot going for us in that sense. And believe me I am thankful every day for what I have. A loving patner, healthy, happy kids. And I do appreciate all of that I really do.

It's just as soon as we think we are on the up, financially something happens to knock us down again. For example the car getting broken into, yes it was good luck it wasn't stolen but there was a lot of damage done to the drivers door and the steering wheel housing, wires ripped out plastics wrecked. It wasn't covered under my insurance cause I could only afford third party, so we had to shell out money we really don't have to repair the damage. That is where I see it as bad luck. Then I was due to go back to college and I was all set and two weeks before I found out that I had to cover my fees where I had been told I wouldn't have to, so not having the money to cover the fees I have had to drop out (I was in my second year). Again to me this is bad luck.

As for the mix up with the social yeh it is getting sorted and hopefully in our favour but we have had to miss paying 3 mths rent cause this has been going on that long and it wasn't because of something we did wrong it was because of someone else. We have been told that when and if this get rectified even in our favour we would not be paid back money, so that leaves us still owing rent arrears. Again more bad luck, not caused by us but by others.

So I suppose it is constant set backs like that, where things should go smoothly and logically things should work out and then they don't. It leaves you thinking...."what the f**k did we do to be going through this" Thats all .

I am thinking it more how you see things, glass half empty/half full kinda thing. Maybe.

karma , no i dont believe in it , if karma was real , every brutal dictator in the world would get thier commeuppance

OP , i really dont think any of those undesirable events qualify as bad luck , your insurance refused to pay for your vandalised car because you made the descision not to have fully comprehensive , thier was choice involved , bad luck is where you done nothing one way or another to deserve a negative outcome , by the same token , good luck is when you see a favourable outcome despite having done nothing to earn it , as for the college situation , again , that is as a result of a third party having changed the rules , this will effect other people aswell

imo , a genuine example of bad luck would be if you happened to be walking home from work and you accidently crossed paths with a serial killer , you done nothing whatsoever to effect the outcome and couldnt in anyway have made preperation to avoid it , this is of course an extreme example , a more routine example of bad luck would be starting a new job and discovering that your boss or supervisor was an office tyrant , again , you couldnt have planned for this outcome , another would be to get hit by a drunk driver , you just happened to be coming over the road at an exact point in time and could not have foreseen such a circumstance

luck is a funny phenomenon , different people have contrasting opinions of it , it does bug me however when people smugly come out with the absurd and tired cliche of you make your own luck when by definition if you made your own luck , it wouldnt be luck , merley good descision making , luck beit good or bad is fortune ( good or bad ) which came your way without you having done anything to deserve it , a more appropriate view of looking at is , you handle luck as best you can , if you find yourself in a negative situation through no fault of your own , you must resolve to get out of it as best you can , otherwise you are doomed to spend your life cursing your unfortunate situation , i should know , i encountered terrible misfortune over decade ago at a very important and pivotal point in my life but failed to deal with it correctly , it was then too late when the reality of the situation had sunk in and while i would never have had to have been descisive had i not encountered this situation the 1st place ( bad luck ) , this is life and we have to play the hand we get

LegacyUser

Whatever happened, it happened for good.
Whatever is happening, is happening for good.
Whatever that will happen, it will be for good.
What have you lost for which you cry?
What did you bring with you, which you have lost?
What did you produce, which has destroyed?
You did not bring anything when you were born.
Whatever you have, you have received from Him.
Whatever you will give, you will give to Him.
You came empty handed and

you will go the same way.

Whatever is yours today was somebody else’s yesterday and will be somebody else’s tomorrow.

Change is the law of the universe.


finally, **** happens but one also gets their chances, you just have to make most of it.