Karma - does it exist?

we'llallhavetea_old · 18-08-2010 01:50AM

Pace2008 wrote: »

Set up a poll in AH asking if posters believe in God and 90% will say No, but with 44 votes cast here the sides are level.

I'm beginning to believe that some people really are claiming to be atheist to make themselves feel intelligent, as Karma is an equally absurd concept.

i noticed that too :eek:

very odd indeed.

Zillah · 18-08-2010 01:51AM

Pace2008 wrote: »

I feel compelled to correct this every time: schizophrenia is not the same as multiple personalities.

Which is now know as Dissociative Identity Disorder

SV · 18-08-2010 01:52AM

Zillah wrote: »

Yes it does.

Your beliefs are ridiculous. I regard your assertions about the nature of the universe with about the same respect I do a five year old who is afraid of monsters.

I'd suggest that if you don't like people thinking your beliefs are ridiculous that you could get some beliefs that are less ridiculous. Ideally beliefs that are consistent with reality (hint: that means no magic).

No it doesn't.

You can go ahead and regard them as that, but you have no right to say it in a condescending matter..or as a thinly veiled insult.
My beliefs are consistent with the reality I see in the world every day.

starbelgrade · 18-08-2010 01:53AM

Pace2008 wrote: »

Set up a poll in AH asking if posters believe in God and 90% will say No, but with 44 votes cast here the sides are level.

I'm beginning to believe that some people really are claiming to be atheist to make themselves feel intelligent, as Karma is an equally absurd concept.

Surely that's proof that Karma exists. By not believing in one thing - ie., God - aethists are imbued with a sense that something else - ie., Karma - does exist.

Like Earl - they can never have a relationship with God, because they are Karma's bitches.

longshanks · 18-08-2010 01:59AM

atheists are as bad as religious folk half th time. what is with the almost fanatical zeal to pronounce religious people as stupid. they're worse than people going on about how their mac is better that your pc.
to sum up, there is a lot of dickheads about and i hate you all equally

Zillah · 18-08-2010 02:04AM

SV wrote: »

No it doesn't.
You can go ahead and regard them as that, but you have no right to say it in a condescending matter..or as a thinly veiled insult.

Yes, I do. It's called free speech? The only way I'd not be allowed to say that reincarnation is ridiculous is if we lived in some sort of fascist state where you and yours can deny me the right to criticise you. Reincarnation is a ridiculous belief, it makes no sense, people who believe in it make no sense. See how I have the right to say that? Score one for democracy.

You might not like me saying that, but I have the right to say it. (within the rules of boards.ie because within this delightful realm they breed the super soldiers)

My beliefs are consistent with the reality I see in the world every day.

Y'see, here's the difficulty: The human brain is notoriously poor at understanding the bigger picture when only taking into account what we see in the world every day. Christians think God is all around them based on what they experience day to day, primitive tribes think the world is flat and that the moon is a God, the vikings thought thunder was Thor's hammer...basically all you people take a very small view and make up an incredible load of nonsense, because no one likes unanswered questions and magic answers everything.

Magic!

Also there is a Simpson's reference in this post, bonus points if someone finds it.

Superbus · 18-08-2010 02:05AM

OutlawPete wrote: »

Is that right Miss Dawkins :mad:

/throws book out window

Off course there is such thing as karma.

Intention is at the essence of everything.

Everything you do, comes back to you.

Both good and bad.

Maybe not in this world, but in the next.

Love is all that matters.

Pain and time are but an illusion.

It matters not a jot if you believe in karma or a world after this.

We all carry on in another dimension anyway.

Hare Krishna.

Hare Hare Krishna.

SV · 18-08-2010 02:08AM

Zillah wrote: »

Y'see, here's the difficulty: The human brain is notoriously poor at understanding the bigger picture when only taking into account what we see in the world every day. Christians think God is all around them based on what they experience day to day, primitive tribes think the world is flat and that the moon is a God, the vikings thought thunder was Thor's hammer...basically all you people take a very small view and make up an incredible load of nonsense, because no one likes unanswered questions and magic answers everything.

Magic!

Also there is a Simpson's reference in this post, bonus points if someone finds it.

My belief in karma is nothing to do with needing answers to the mysterys of the world.

Superbus wrote: »

Hare Hare Krishna.

Speaking of Hare Krishna..does anyone remember playing the original GTA?
There was a mission in it where you had to capture a load of them and have them grinded down and fed as hot dogs or something similar..
pretty twisted..but anyway, I decided to copy that as an idea for an essay when I was about 12 or so in 6th class as the title was "My terrible day"
I got suspended for a week for doing that.

Just thought I'd share :pac:

Zillah · 18-08-2010 02:09AM

SV wrote: »

My belief in karma is nothing to do with needing answers to the mysterys of the world.

Oh.

Mushrooms, then?

DOC09UNAM · 18-08-2010 02:11AM

Lets not turn it into atheist bashing, just because we dont believe in religion doesnt mean we can't believe in something else.

I don't believe in karma, but I do believe in Leprechauns.

SV · 18-08-2010 02:11AM

Zillah wrote: »

Oh.

Mushrooms, then?

Do you really want an answer or?

marcsignal · 18-08-2010 02:13AM

a man who threatened to shoot me last summer, is dying of cancer this summer, so yes, i believe in karma

Superbus · 18-08-2010 02:16AM

Don't believe in karma... Don't believe in leprechauns... Don't believe in Krishna... Don't believe in essays... Don't believe in thanks... I just believe in me, AH and me, and that's reality.

Zillah · 18-08-2010 02:16AM

SV wrote: »

Do you really want an answer or?

Well, if your beliefs are involved in drug use in some fashion that would really explain a lot.

marcsignal wrote: »

a man who threatened to shoot me last summer, is dying of cancer this summer, so yes, i believe in karma

I flipped a coin once, it came up tails. I'm pretty confident in asserting that that is what happens when one flips a coin.

we'llallhavetea_old · 18-08-2010 02:17AM

marcsignal wrote: »

a man who threatened to shoot me last summer, is dying of cancer this summer, so yes, i believe in karma

the man who threatened to kill me is still alive and well, and no doubt he will remain that way 'til a ripe old age.

my friends mother died of cancer when she was young, she was a lovely woman.

my grandparents both died of strokes quite young, both good people.

do you see where i'm going with this?

coincidences.

SV · 18-08-2010 02:18AM

Zillah wrote: »

Well, if your beliefs are involved in drug use in some fashion that would really explain a lot.

No, they've nothing to do with drug use in any way.
So do you really want a genuine answer for why I believe in karma or are you happy to continue with insulting everything that isn't your own belief?

Zillah · 18-08-2010 02:20AM

SV wrote: »

No, they've nothing to do with drug use in any way.
So do you really want a genuine answer for why I believe in karma or are you happy to continue with insulting everything that isn't your own belief?

Can't it be both?

Really, it's both.

DOC09UNAM · 18-08-2010 02:21AM

Superbus wrote: »

Don't believe in karma... Don't believe in leprechauns... Don't believe in Krishna... Don't believe in essays... Don't believe in thanks... I just believe in me, AH and me, and that's reality.

I don't want to start an argument here, but shútup

Leprechauns are real

marcsignal · 18-08-2010 02:22AM

Zillah wrote: »

I flipped a coin once, it came up tails. I'm pretty confident in asserting that that is what happens when one flips a coin.

just tried that.. heads by october, tails by november. It came up tails, not bothered either way

Superbus · 18-08-2010 02:28AM

DOC09UNAM wrote: »

I don't want to start an argument here, but shútup

Leprechauns are real

Whatever gets you through the night I suppose.

Davidius · 18-08-2010 02:34AM

Karma in the sense that a person who acts like a dickhead is increasing their chances of having their life be a bit more difficult later on? Well yeah, people are less likely to be welcoming or in anyway helpful toward you if act like an asshole.

In terms of a mystical force that punishes and rewards people for their deeds? No, that's just nonsense. There is nothing to suggest that's in anyway true.

marcsignal · 18-08-2010 02:41AM

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

the man who threatened to kill me is still alive and well, and no doubt he will remain that way 'til a ripe old age.

my friends mother died of cancer when she was young, she was a lovely woman.

my grandparents both died of strokes quite young, both good people.

do you see where i'm going with this?

enlighten me, where are you going with this ? I never knew my grandparents, they were all brown bread before I was born, and lost a long term former gf, and a fiancé, to the same (cancer) since 06, so what's your point ?

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

coincidences.

possibly.... maybe I'm just confusing 'karma' with 'schadenfreude' in this instance.

we'llallhavetea_old · 18-08-2010 02:47AM

marcsignal wrote: »

enlighten me, where are you going with this ? I never knew my grandparents, they were all brown bread before I was born, and lost a long term former gf, and a fiancé, to the same (cancer) since 06, so what's your point ?

my point is, how can you use this

marcsignal wrote: »

a man who threatened to shoot me last summer, is dying of cancer this summer

as a reason to believe in karma? doesn't make sense.

possibly.... maybe I'm just confusing 'karma' with 'schadenfreude' in this instance.

yup.

Lust4Life · 18-08-2010 02:56AM

Without Karma we couldn't have Karma Sutra..... oh wait. What?:p

marcsignal · 18-08-2010 02:58AM

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

as a reason to believe in karma? doesn't make sense.

guess you're right

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

yup.

still, didn't like the cnut, and i feel too good about it now to care tbh 'karma' 'schadenfreude' not bothered either way, and certainly too drunk, even for ah:pac:

congo_90 · 18-08-2010 03:19AM

karma
yorema
carmat

yea I'll get my coat..

TheReverend · 18-08-2010 03:49AM

Karma is a load of ****e.

Snake Pliisken · 18-08-2010 06:51AM

Nice guys finish last.

18-08-2010 09:15AM

Lust4Life wrote: »

Without Karma we couldn't have Karma Sutra..... oh wait. What?:p

I sincerely hope you're not trying to refer to the Kama Sutra. A discourse on desire, not on action.

Do I believe in actions having consequences relating to your dharma, yes.
Do I believe in wishy-washy "what goes around comes around" which I suspect is the real question in the OP, no.

Wibbs · 18-08-2010 11:10AM

It's like luck as a concept. People who believe themselves to be lucky will ignore the unlucky stuff and just remember when things go right for them. Karma a similar thing. If you believe it and someone fooks you over, you'll zero in on one bad thing that happens to them and attach some mystical importance to it.

Though like luck there is something to it from a logical point of view. Lucky people will concentrate on the good and capitalise on these "lucky" breaks. So over time they do indeed appear to lead more charmed lives. People who believe in karma will try to act more altruistically so this will feed back into relationships. People who are gits, are more likely to cause issues in their own lives so it looks like karma is having an effect.

While it may seem to many that beliveing in luck and karma is daft, as a life survival tool its not a bad one. A purely logical approach to life has more of a tendency to pessimism. The religious tend to live longer and that may be down to that at least in part.

Karma - does it exist?

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