# Do you believe in Karma? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 16, 2011, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215 "2011-07-16T03:19:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![2gigch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2gigch1/32/3313_2.png) [@2gigch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2gigch1)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/21 "2011-07-16T13:39:31Z")
No. I fervently wish it were, but I see no evidence of it that cant be explained by randomness or coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/22 "2011-07-16T13:52:43Z")
I believe in coincidence and confirmation bias. So no. ---
**Author:** ![YaraMateo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/58f4c7/32.png) [@YaraMateo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaraMateo)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/23 "2011-07-16T15:35:53Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > There are enough jerks who never get their just deserts, and enough good people who are repeatedly knocked down, to ever believe there’s some sort of cosmic balance sheet. Not only this, but I feel te WORST people tend to get the BEST/MOST. So, I think Karma is something nice people believe in when they keep getting kicked in the teeth. Which why I believe in an eye for an eye and SO FAR, no one has ripped my eye yet. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/24 "2011-07-16T15:38:46Z")
No, not “karma” but I do believe that God will bring justice if not in this life in the afterlife. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/25 "2011-07-16T15:51:29Z")
Not strictly speaking, no. However, I do believe that you tend to get what you have coming to you. Or rather, that if you’re an asshole, people will tend to treat you like an asshole, too. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/26 "2011-07-16T16:11:34Z")
Believe is too strong a word - but I like to act as if doing good things will have good things return to me. Even if it doesn’t work, it helps me be a nicer man. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/27 "2011-07-16T16:19:03Z")
OK… I gave the light-hearted answer about my dog names Kharma above (I really DO have a dog names Kharma), but here’s my REAL answer. As much as I would LOVE to thionk that good things will happen to good people and ye shall be rewarded for your good deeds and punished for the bad…no. I don’t believe that. all to often I see good people, I mean _really_ good people that seem to attract bad luck. And people that seem to just not care who they hurt that always seem to come out on top, or as my mama used to say… …they could fall into a pile of shit and come out smelling like a rose. Somehow, karma just doesn’t seem to enter into it. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/28 "2011-07-16T18:54:47Z")
Yes. I have found that when I do some good things for random people, it often comes back in ways I never imagined. Does it always work? Sadly no. It is not going to cure cancer or pay your mortgage, etc. But I can tell you that many good things that have happened to me came about because I did something good for someone else. I have seen people who do really bad things live to regret it - so there certainly are plenty of examples to make it a worthwhile philosophy. Plus, if everyone were to actually do more good things for other people, it would certainly make life a lot better. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/29 "2011-07-16T19:01:14Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > Yes. > I have found that when I do some good things for random people, it often comes back in ways I never imagined. > Does it always work? Sadly no. It is not going to cure cancer or pay your mortgage, etc. > > But I can tell you that many good things that have happened to me came about because I did something good for someone else. > I have seen people who do really bad things live to regret it - so there certainly are plenty of examples to make it a worthwhile philosophy. Plus, if everyone were to actually do more good things for other people, it would certainly make life a lot better. According to Karma, you may never actually SEE the good things you do get returned to you in kind in this life, but your good deeds DO always work. It may not be in this lifetime but you will see the benefits at some point. ---
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/30 "2011-07-16T19:27:53Z")
I think in the larger sense works, because you can always find a way to put a positive spin on something. I’ve even seen claims that the Holocoust was good as it enabled the Jews to use it as guilt to found Israel. That’s a strech if you ask me, but it shows you how you can find good in anything if you look for it hard enough. But on a more day to day or micro level Karma simply doesn’t work. I think on the Simpsons, Moe says something like, Rich people, from the day they’re born to the day they die they think they’re happy, but their not. Kind of like that ---
**Author:** ![impatien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c89c15/32.png) [@impatien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/impatien)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/31 "2011-07-16T20:29:08Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > According to Karma, you may never actually SEE the good things you do get returned to you in kind in this life, but your good deeds DO always work. It may not be in this lifetime but you will see the benefits at some point. I agree with this. I don’t necessarily think that if you do a good deed today, you will be paid back tomorrow–same if you do a horrible deed. BUT I do think at some time, it will somehow come back to you. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/32 "2011-07-16T20:33:31Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > I have seen people who do really bad things live to regret it - so there certainly are plenty of examples to make it a worthwhile philosophy. Plus, if everyone were to actually do more good things for other people, it would certainly make life a lot better. You don’t have to believe in karma or any other kind of woo to understand that if you live a dishonorable lifestyle, you’ll have bad consequences, and if you do good things for other people, life is better. Some of us do good things for other people simply because it’s the right and moral thing to do, not because we’re expecting presents for it. ---
**Author:** ![Molotok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Molotok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molotok)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/33 "2011-07-16T20:36:33Z")
I believe in poetic justice… is it close enough? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/34 "2011-07-16T21:32:27Z")
No. I don’t believe life works out all tidy and pat like that. People who believe in karma get on my nerves, quite honestly. They’ll say, “Karma’s a bitch” when their enemy is down, but they won’t say that when THEY are down. They won’t question what they did when bad things happen to them, or wonder what good things they did to deserve their “blessings.” I do believe that as far as treating people fairly and being kind, you will reap benefits from this, just as you be disadvantaged socially if you are a jerk. But that’s not the same thing as karma. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/35 "2011-07-16T21:44:34Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > It may not be in this lifetime but you will see the benefits at some point. That’s really fucking convenient. ---
**Author:** ![YaraMateo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/58f4c7/32.png) [@YaraMateo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaraMateo)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/36 "2011-07-16T21:50:52Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > No. I don’t believe life works out all tidy and pat like that. > > People who believe in karma get on my nerves, quite honestly. They’ll say, “Karma’s a bitch” when their enemy is down, but they won’t say that when THEY are down. They won’t question what they did when bad things happen to them, or wonder what good things they did to deserve their “blessings.” > > I do believe that as far as treating people fairly and being kind, you will reap benefits from this, just as you be disadvantaged socially if you are a jerk. But that’s not the same thing as karma. I wonder what Karma is when your enemy (or bad people) are doing well. If Karma is real, he/she is very lazy and is 1 for every 1,000,000,000 if that. The next time someone says that to me irl, I’m going to ask about it. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/37 "2011-07-16T22:15:44Z")
Yes, but more that you reap what you sow, in other words what you put out will grow and return to you bigger. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/38 "2011-07-16T22:38:41Z")
I believe in Karma like I believe in gambling streaks. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/39 "2011-07-16T22:49:08Z")
No, I believe in strong randomness. In fact, I prefer it that way. While I like the idea that our personal choices have some significance, I can’t find any evidence whatsoever that our choices inevitably result in rewards for ‘good’ acts and punishment for ‘bad’ ones. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215/40 "2011-07-16T23:19:22Z")
Just to add to my above post, would like to include shit roles down hill into Karma. Meaning that the bad stuff that is meant for you, if you have the power, can be placed on others below you. This we see in the typical boss-employee situation, along with road rage and abused children/spouse. In these cases the bad effect is often reduced by God (the mercy of God), till the ones being oppressed can be set free. Ultimately all people will face their own shit they put out, but there are ways to delay it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/589215.md?page=3)