Do people get what they deserve in life?

[lemex]

I have felt life is about consciousness. I think the question looks to life and not consciousness, that consciousness determines this. Does life control consciousness or the other way round? It being a matter of mind that can be observed.

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by lemex

I have felt life is about consciousness. I think the question looks to life and not consciousness, that consciousness determines this.
Does life control consciousness or the other way round?

Hi lemex :)
Yes, the ques is about life 'here' on this psycho planet we are made to endure with others.
Consciousness is way too deep for this particular thread, imo.

You wanna talk about 'control'? I like that.
Do we have control over what comes our way? I could speak volumes on that one!
Short version...if you THINK you are a loser - life's events will prove that to be true.
IF you THINK and believe you 'deserve' wonderful things ...then that will prove itself out.
All from my experience.
(Not discussing the general karmic plan we made before coming here.)

[Redchic12]

Totally agree with Miss H.

Plus, we are only looking at what a person does and does not deserve from our limited physical point of view. However once back in spirit where we can see the “big picture” from a different perspective then it will probably all seem very fair and just. Imo

[Maisy]

I gave up on the "we are in control of everything" beliefs a long time ago. Seems to me we are in control of very little. Just our reactions and attachment to thoughts within the things that happen that are totally out of our control. Like the family driving down the road one night and a drunk driver changed lanes and ran into them. Like the child born to severely abusive parents stuck with them until they are 18. Like being born in a war zone where there's no food or clean water. Each day, 25,000 people, including more than 10,000 children, die from hunger and related causes. Some 854 million people worldwide are estimated to be undernourished. Is it their thinking that is the problem?

I think there are "haves" and "have nots" and the haves have a duty to help those with less. I think we are here to learn karmic lessons. Worldly success and worldly happiness I don't think is the point of life. It's so temporary anyway. We take nothing of this world with us when we pass. Not one penny. I think what we are here to do and experience and learn is also unique to us. One person may be here to learn compassion for those with mental illness. Another may be here to work on being greedy. Somebody else may be here to learn about selfless service to others. Somebody else may be here to learn about ego. Positive thinking could be one person's karmic lesson but I don't think it is everyone's path. For some the lesson is to ignore thoughts all together. There is one mountain, but a million different paths up it leading to the top. Everyone's journey to the top is also their own. Unique in all ways.

Some people die at 100 others die at 5. Some are born heathy and rich some born unhealthy and poor. It's certainly not fair at all as others have posted. But I think it's all part of a great plan polishing us into "angels." Nobody knows if they will be here a week from now. But then we will be somewhere I think. Learning all the time. I feel like I have learned a lot in this life so far. One thing I learned is to keep a lot of my beliefs to myself lol. Everyone seems to get mad if you state an opinion or belief different from theirs. In fact, look at all the violence in the world. I think a great deal happens because people get mad if somebody believes differently than them. Imagine if nobody believed anything. Maybe have world peace then.

[Maisy]

Originally Posted by lemex

It being a matter of mind that can be observed.

I think it's true one can observe their mind no matter what is happening. And if we are observing it, we are not blindly following it.

[Altair]

Great post, Maisy. It is all about variety, different (infinite) stories. The universe as I see it is one big multiplayer roleplaying game, and every character contributes.

I slightly disagree on one thing, and that's positive thinking, I think that's (eventually) beneficial for everyone (as difficult as that may be in circumstances). That is, if you wanna level up in the game...

[Starman]

In my opinion whether we deserve something or not has nothing to do with it. We all have opportunities which we may or may not recognize and take advantage of. Some things are destined to happen and other things depend on our effort.

Who determines whether we deserve something or not and what is the criteria for being deserving? What did people do to deserve to be born? An does anyone really deserve to die? These are based on judgment calls by us and others.

[Maisy]

Originally Posted by Altair

I slightly disagree on one thing, and that's positive thinking,

I was thinking in terms of what I think is higher or better than positive thinking which to me is transcending all thought. Willfully engaging with it or not with it when we want. I think it takes a high degree of self awareness present at all times to do that. Our "person" or ego I think is a result of thought and past conditioning. I think one result of transcending that self is we don't incarnate in human bodes anymore.

Positive thinking is sure better than negative thinking but to me it seems the "root" of ego remains in both. The self centered way of being and acting and thinking. I think that's ok if one wants or needs to be that but then I think much higher planes of existence require one to move past the false conditioned self to achieve the "vibration" or nature to go or "belong" there.

One can think positive all the time and still be horrible to others in some ways. Be indifferent to their suffering, their point of view etc. I'd guess as well one could be a negative thinker and be nicer to others than some positive thinkers. The fictional character Eeyore in Winnie The Pooh was a negative thinker but he was never mean to anybody and was a gentle kind humble character.

The idea of "taking control" of ones thoughts (making them positive) is also a problematic idea I think especially as scientists have discovered thought is produced by the brain before it is presented to "us" or conscious awareness. We don't make thought the brain does. But then it gets really complicated lol. Conscious awareness can influence thought and influence the brain. Also one aspect of conscious awareness, or our "true self" is it can willingly direct the attention or focus of awareness. So while we don't make thought, we can direct our attention off of it. Also the brain has been found to be affected by what we (awareness) is paying attention to.

They found when people are willfully taking their attention off thought, the section of the brain that makes thought slows down making thought or stops all together. Scientists found the brain, a very advanced biological computer, will actually "look at" which thoughts we paid attention to the most in the past to "decide" which thoughts to present in the present. Of course we also know now our neurons and synapses will "specialize" to produce various chemicals relating to "feelings" and "moods" and certain patterns of thought like anger, hate, love and so on based on which are used the most which is related to our habits and attention.

So say a person spends all day being angry about various things like on the news or they think about people they hate etc. Their brain will "specialize" to produce those "feelings" and "moods." That's why some "habits" of thought like "negative thinking" can be very hard to break. It's like a well worn trail in a forest. If one tries to make a new trail, it will take awhile for it to become the main trail. A brain that has specialized to make anger chemicals, will take awhile to convert back to making something else like peace/calm chemicals. But it can be done. Probably though a desire to not be negative anymore and then being aware when one is doing that through the attention or awareness.

I think thought is pretty much the key to everything or how our attention uses or interacts with it. I think it's related to getting what we "deserve" as I think everything exists to raise our awareness. They key to getting free of self caused suffering is becoming aware we are creating it and have the potential to not do such things. Like focusing on negative ideas like fear or hate and anger. I think not only does the brain give us what we want when we apply our will to awareness, also the "universe" or "reality" is perfectly attuned to put us where we belong. I think we exist on a violent planet because all of us have the potential to be violent in various ways. Our "nature" determines where we are I think. So that in a way is getting what we deserve.

[Maisy]

Originally Posted by Starman

Some things are destined to happen...

Here's one maybe. In every place I've lived, something major is broken. If I spend the money and fix it, immediately something else major breaks. This has happened every place I have lived for a very long time. I've lived in a lot of places. I move a lot. My guess is I was one of those landlords in a past life where I never fixed people's apartments due to my greed so this is now my karma. Right now my dishwasher does not work. If I fixed it, the heater or washing machine or something else would break. That's what's always happens anyway.

Someone might say I'm causing this somehow though my negative thinking or something but I don't think I have those powers. I don't really think negative a lot either. One time I managed to get a really nice house to rent, not one thing wrong with it! The day I moved in the landlord told me he decided to replace the deck and the downstairs floor. They tore it up the next day. That house was rented for years and years without one thing done to it. The day I move in major construction happens and it's all broken. If I was a bad landlord last life, I am now getting what I deserve.

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by Maisy

... My guess is I was one of those landlords in a past life where I never fixed people's apartments due to my greed
so this is now my karma. Right now my dishwasher does not work.

Thank you for the belly laugh!!