# Do you believe in karma?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/742681>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [January 10, 2016, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/742681 "2016-01-10T13:53:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/742681/21 "2016-01-12T16:32:31Z")

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I don’t believe in karma as a metaphysical force, but I do believe assholes get treated with less favor by people around them, and generally have a worse time. Negativity breeds negativity.

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**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/742681/22 "2016-01-12T17:08:34Z")

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Your definition was a bit over-simplistic (but it ~works), and so I answered 3.

It also depends on your definition of _believe_. I don’t believe it to be a true, universal law of the universe, but I live as though it’s real. I’m not expecting any reward but I think its concept has merit.

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**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/742681/23 "2016-01-12T19:00:05Z")

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I’ve seen it happen. I believe what goes around comes around.

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**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:** [January 12, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/742681/24 "2016-01-12T19:06:08Z")

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No, I think some people apply cause and effect to situations that are not coupled in an attempt to give greater meaning or to fulfill a desire for justice.

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**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/742681/25 "2016-01-12T20:29:13Z")

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Karma exists, mostly for practical reasons. If there’s a supernatural aspect to it, I have no evidence for it. It’s possible, but I reserve judgement on that. I have discovered that being pleasant and polite to assholes baffles them, and they momentarily forget to be nasty.

Remember, what comes around…  
the mountain will be drivin’ six white horses.

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**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-karma/742681/26 "2016-01-12T22:01:23Z")

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I go further and say not only do I not believe in it, it does \*\*not \*\*exist. It’s all just positive-reinforcement pattern recognition, something our monkey brains are hard wired to always do. Same reason people see the Virgin Mary in their grilled cheese…

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