This was too funny to not comment on.03:31 Apr 25 2007
Times Read: 830
So, apparently someone thinks my being stung was the result of karma. Not only that, but karma inflicted as the direct result of thread closures and suspensions that were simply a part of doing my duty as a Dominar, and which were well-warranted at that.
Karma, my ass. Any beekeeper will tell you, getting stung once in awhile is inevitable. It happens less frequently the more cautious one is, and while wearing the proper protective gear, but it still happens.
Not to mention, if you take into account the purported health benefits of apivenom, it would seem likely that even if being stung were a result of karma, it would be more likely to have been good karma, rather than bad.
At the very least, it goes that much further towards increasing my resistance to the venom, which I would have to say is a good thing, in case of a freak accident that resulted in being stung a dangerous number of times at once.
That being said, I've spent more than enough time responding to a comment from someone who seems to have a penchant for irrational words and actions.
He did, at least, bring to mind something I had planned on writing a bit about some time ago and had forgotten. Which, ironically enough, involves our tendency to often label things as good or bad, especially the latter, without really thinking about them.
More specifically, I refer to Karma. Karma as viewed by most I've known that believe in it. You do something good, something good happens to you. You do something bad, something bad happens to you. Wicca's Law of Three. Karma. It's known in many forms, by many names, and most people typically have some sort of belief in it.
To sum it up, for those who may be tired of reading this by now, I think it's bullshit.
That's not to say I don't believe, or at least accept the possibility, of the existence of Karma. However, to simplify it down to "Something bad happened to you because you did something bad," is ridiculous. The universe is vast, immense, and infinitely complex. Infinitely complex both macroscopically and microscopically. Even after thousands of years, and amazing leaps in discovery and technology, we really don't even know a fraction of how our own bodies work, let alone the size or workings of the universe.
The primary flaw I see in this simplistic view of Karma, is that most things that happen to us are only good or bad in our perception of them. Take, for instance, a few years ago when the car I owned at the time was totaled while parked in front of my house. It would have been very easy to have looked at that as a Bad Thing happening, perhaps even the Karmatic Effect of some Bad Thing I had done. However, I chose to view it as an opportunity to get a new vehicle that I'd enjoy more. Or maybe a better example would be that of a vehicle breaking down. Once again, easily viewed as a Bad Thing to repay Bad Things Done. Or, you can look at it as an opportunity to learn to fix whatever went wrong.
Basically, good and bad are most often just a matter of perception.
And at times, this extends beyond immediate appearances. Perhaps something happens that even someone trying to find good in it is unable to. However, that event may directly trigger a chain of events leading to something that the person sees as far better than the Bad Thing that led to it.
Now would that be Good Karma, or Bad Karma? Hmmmm? Doesn't quite work either way, does it?
My next problem with this form of Karma, is that it would seem to imply forces of Pure Good and Pure Evil at work in the universe. I don't think I precisely believe that to be true, and I'm pretty sure that quite a few people who believe in Karma don't either. Even if such forces do exist, and are sentient and intelligent enough to control a force such as Karma, I think the manifestations of Purely Good and Purely Bad events are few and far between enough to pretty much discredit the constant effects of Karma many people believe in, for the reason explained in my first point.
So what do I believe? On the subject of Karma, I know far less about what I do believe than what I don't believe. I think there is a universe-wide force of cause and effect, but I don't think it can be broken down into good and bad. I also think that the universe is too immense and complex for most of us to even begin to claim to understand how everything effects everything else.
And, more important to me than my metaphysical beliefs on the subject, I find life to be much more enjoyable and fulfilling when one is always looking for the good in a seemingly bad scenario, than acting in constant fear of cosmic punishment for our actions. Not to say that good is always immediately visible, or even really there at all, but if it is, you're likely to miss it if you aren't looking for it. And if it isn't, at least you tried, and that alone is likely to make you feel far better than dwelling on the bad.
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