Do you believe in karma, luck?

[slo]

I believe in God, so luck, karma and everything good comes from Him. Most negative things in life come from our choices and circumstances. 99 percent of those things result because of a human’s free will or a scientific reason. Not making this religious, it’s just my view.

Very well said and I agree with you

 

[loves to dive]

I'm not superstitious but I do believe in karma sort of. I believe you'll get back what you put out there, might not be in this life but it will happen.

 

[DLgal]

Nope. I don't believe in any of that.

13 has always been a lucky number for me. It was my uniform number in 2 different sports, it was the day that I met my husband, and it is the day my first son was born.

I belive in good fortune and luck as a random confluence of events/circumstances that benefit a person. I don't believe in any divine intervention, because if you believe that for the good things that happen, you have to also believe that that same power is responsible for all the awful, horrific, tragic situations people find themselves in.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Well I can tell you that step on a crack, break your mother's back doesn't work. Stepped on tons of them. Mother never broke her back.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Nope. I don't believe in any of that.

13 has always been a lucky number for me. It was my uniform number in 2 different sports, it was the day that I met my husband, and it is the day my first son was born.

I belive in good fortune and luck as a random confluence of events/circumstances that benefit a person. I don't believe in any divine intervention, because if you believe that for the good things that happen, you have to also believe that that same power is responsible for all the awful, horrific, tragic situations people find themselves in.

This isn’t really true from my perspective but we can’t discuss why here, so I won’t respond further on it.

 

[Katie Dawn]

Nope. I even got married on Friday the 13th.

 

[disneyseniors]

I raise this up because I watched Apollo 13 today, which was launched on the 13th minute of the 13th hour etc. and practically blew up in space nearly killing all those on board. Not great luck.

Well, I guess I'm in for it then! I was born on the 13th, married on the 13th, and everywhere we have lived the past 50 years have had a 13 in them. Also our phone number has a 13 in it. Wow, I just thought about all those.
I tend to think the number brings us good luck

 

[Uncle Coaster]

I have a strong disliking of “karma” for two reasons.

First, it feels like too many people now do things “because it will come back to them” in the form of karma. They feel like they “deserve” something good in return for their good deed. Why not just doing something good because it is the right thing to do?

Second is the exact opposite of the first. I feel like I hear too many people say something like “karma will haunt them” when somebody does something wrong. Why do so many people care. Instead of caring about others getting their comeuppance just focus on doing good yourself or helping those that did wrong to see the error of their ways if possible.

It just seems like too often karma bings out the worst in people.

Note: this is not intended as a reflection on anyone in this thread or forum. I also realize that when someone mentions karma that this isn’t all that they care about. How refer, I just notice a general trend to doing good for the wrong reasons.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

I was getting lunch with my mom last week. And I went to the bathroom as my mom paid the bill. I took my time and by the time I was done my mom was talking to the parking attendant. So I asked her, "Did you already get the car ma."
She replied, "Yes, God gave me you."

So I guess I got to believe.

 

[mjkacmom]

I just received an Amazon package not addressed to me. Since tracking had a photo of it on my porch, I contacted amazon and they said just to keep it and they’d take care of the original order on their end. I delivered the package with a note, they might need it today and it’s not mine. I do believe in karma (and knock on wood all of the time).

 

[MomOTwins]

First, Apollo 13 - good movie! Great cast. Hope you enjoyed it.

Second, I do believe that what comes around goes around. I try my very best to share good.

And I can be superstitious. Last week we were having work on our gutters done and I had to exit out the back door. There was a ladder I could have easily gone under. NOPE! I went the steep angle way around it. Just couldn't do it (FYI when my daughter came home from school she stopped dead in her tracks and said NOPE! and went around too! ) And I have also been give room 666 before at a hotel. NOPE! I was shocked they even had that as a room. They skip floor 13, just skip room 666 while you're at it.

On skipping floor 13, I've always thought that was super funny. There's still a 13th floor, it's just mislabeled as 14. And yet somehow there is no massive outcry from people on floor "14" complaining how consistently unlucky their rooms are. Lol.

Black cats are cute.

Breaking a mirror is indeed unlucky, because then you have a bunch of broken glass on your floor and have to buy a new mirror.

Some of the worst people I know are the luckiest. And some of the best people I know have had terrible luck. I think it is human nature to want there to a reason for everything. Humans like to find patterns in all things, no matter how random.

But it's still fun to play "jinx" with my kids when we say the same word. Sometimes it can be fun to "believe" a little with superstition. As long as you don't let it give you anxiety.

 

[Mysterian]

Nope. I don't believe in any of that.

13 has always been a lucky number for me. It was my uniform number in 2 different sports, it was the day that I met my husband, and it is the day my first son was born.

I belive in good fortune and luck as a random confluence of events/circumstances that benefit a person. I don't believe in any divine intervention, because if you believe that for the good things that happen, you have to also believe that that same power is responsible for all the awful, horrific, tragic situations people find themselves in.

I have a strong disliking of “karma” for two reasons.

First, it feels like too many people now do things “because it will come back to them” in the form of karma. They feel like they “deserve” something good in return for their good deed. Why not just doing something good because it is the right thing to do?

Second is the exact opposite of the first. I feel like I hear too many people say something like “karma will haunt them” when somebody does something wrong. Why do so many people care. Instead of caring about others getting their comeuppance just focus on doing good yourself or helping those that did wrong to see the error of their ways if possible.

It just seems like too often karma bings out the worst in people.

Note: this is not intended as a reflection on anyone in this thread or forum. I also realize that when someone mentions karma that this isn’t all that they care about. How refer, I just notice a general trend to doing good for the wrong reasons.

Basically these I agree with. However I do believe in the very practical sense of how people will typically reciprocate what behavior/treatment you consistently put out there, which many of us see play out every day.

This never guarantees that good behavior/deeds will always result in great reward, and let's face it, plenty of bad behavior out there can go unpunished. Also there's many cases where there should never be an unspoken contract for performing a good deed: basically performing a supposedly nice gesture that's done just to make someone obligated to you later. This is kind of what you mentioned, Uncle Coaster, but without the mystical element to it.

 

[RamblingMad]

I only believe in luck. Hard work is pretty much a lie. Most of the kids that go to the top schools get there because either their parents were legacy or because their current parents gave huge donations. It's all luck. Sure, some get in because of hard work, but that's more exception than the rule.

 

[Buzz Rules]

I only believe in luck. Hard work is pretty much a lie. Most of the kids that go to the top schools get there because either their parents were legacy or because their current parents gave huge donations. It's all luck. Sure, some get in because of hard work, but that's more exception than the rule.

That’s a pretty negative view on life. That view on college is simply not correct 9 out of 10 times. Grades matter and who studies and works hard in school gets ahead in life. I know that firsthand.

 

[RamblingMad]

That’s a pretty negative view on life. That view on college is simply not correct 9 out of 10 times. Grades matter and who studies and works hard in school gets ahead in life. I know that firsthand.

That's not what I've seen. I've seen those with connections and money get ahead regardless of hard work. I've seen plenty of people work hard both in school and at work not get ahead. It all boiled down to luck. It trumped intelligence every time. I've met plenty of Ivy League kids that got in because of their parent's donations or legacy connections. When I see a resume from a good school, I wonder if they got in because of their parents or their intelligence. Most of the time it's been parents.

 

[Buzz Rules]

That's not what I've seen. I've seen those with connections and money get ahead regardless of hard work. I've seen plenty of people work hard both in school and at work not get ahead. It all boiled down to luck. It trumped intelligence every time. I've met plenty of Ivy League kids that got in because of their parent's donations or legacy connections. When I see a resume from a good school, I wonder if they got in because of their parents or their intelligence. Most of the time it's been parents.

Ivy Leaguers are a mixed bag. But for 99% of all accredited colleges and universities that simply isn’t true. Some people have the blessing of a silver spoon but most in that top 1% still have to work hard to maintain that wealth. If someone squandered the fortune, that next generation has to work hard to recoup the wealth through hard work and determination. Life is what you put into it.

 

[Mysterian]

I only believe in luck. Hard work is pretty much a lie. Most of the kids that go to the top schools get there because either their parents were legacy or because their current parents gave huge donations. It's all luck. Sure, some get in because of hard work, but that's more exception than the rule.

I think what you're describing is not luck but privilege. Even that doesn't cover the gamut of circumstances relative to karma.

If you truly believed in luck (outcome determined by chance, not under your control) over hard work (results based on action), then you probably wouldn't be keen on eating a healthy diet.

 

[mjkacmom]

That's not what I've seen. I've seen those with connections and money get ahead regardless of hard work. I've seen plenty of people work hard both in school and at work not get ahead. It all boiled down to luck. It trumped intelligence every time. I've met plenty of Ivy League kids that got in because of their parent's donations or legacy connections. When I see a resume from a good school, I wonder if they got in because of their parents or their intelligence. Most of the time it's been parents.

This is simply not true, the majority of applicants are unhooked. Top universities need to keep their gpa and test score stats super high, acceptance rates low. Most seats are filled with the cream of the top, hooked applicants (athletes, celebrities, donors, legacies) only make up a small pool of students (and more colleges are moving away from legacies). There are way more valedictorians with perfect stats than seats in t20 universities.

 

[RamblingMad]

This is simply not true, the majority of applicants are unhooked. Top universities need to keep their gpa and test score stats super high, acceptance rates low. Most seats are filled with the cream of the top, hooked applicants (athletes, celebrities, donors, legacies) only make up a small pool of students (and more colleges are moving away from legacies). There are way more valedictorians with perfect stats than seats in t20 universities.

I know a lot of very rich people who basically paid their way into university via donations. Sure, there is some talent, but it's mostly about already having the money. You can tell your kids to work hard, but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter much. The one exception that I have seen is in the medical field, especially specialists. However, you're talking about taking on a ridiculous amount of debt and spending a lot of time in school. Another option is sports. But they tend to get a lot of money fast with very short careers. It's all about genes. I sold my last home to an ex-NBA guy that blew through his money too fast. My "smaller" home wasn't that far from his. The rest of the time it's about being born into the right family and being at the right place at the right time. In other words, it's luck. My current job is due to luck. This whole pull yourself up by your bootstraps and work hard is bs. We have to start realizing that inequality is all due to luck, not skills and stop bashing folks for not doing better.