What's your explanation for bad things happening to good people?

Originally Posted by Busby

I cannot recall ever hearing that 'Karma' can result in damage, in any way. K isn't a means of punishing. Nor can it be used to 'teach 'us' a lesson'. K is the result of actions and has no mind of its own. So any failure of nature isn't a result of some hidden primary force making a decision. You yourself, who you are, where you are and what you are experiencing is simply the result of everything that has happened up until now in (and around) that part of the universe you call traceyacey12. You at any given moment are the result of all evolution.

No doubt you know of the Contergan scandal - pills put onto the market 55 years ago without being properly tested which caused terrible birth defects. So we know defects can be caused by chemicals. Agent Orange and Napalm which was used so horribly in Korea and Vietnam 60 years ago still causes birth defects in new-borns today. Radiation can cause such defects - and so on. But to say that these defects are a result of a direct karma would be a standpoint very difficult to explain, although right at the end these chemicals are the results of actions. In my opinion the material world runs on its own natural laws and not on the same 'plane' as K.

Try this http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2...begins-when-s/

and this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bm8RrkIHgQ

In fact Sheldrake has a lot of interesting things to say about the human condition.

can't the definition of karma as you reap what you sow also include damage (if say, you or your family or w/e did damage and its sort of coming back to you)? I know that sounds like punishment, but thats not my point.... can't this be viewed as you reap what you sow also?

[pilgrim11]

Why do you think bad things happen to good people? How do you rationalize this?

In a word – Kharmic Energies (or, plain Kharma)….1000s articles on the subject!

However, the principle of Kharma is as infinitely complex as asking what is GOD? In fact, in some Budhism practices, it is forbidden to meditate on the nature of GOD because it is a wasteful exercise. ACCEPT the infinite wisdom of Godliness and get on with living that divine line as best as possible. Kharma falls in that category. Better ACCEPT one's Kharma and get on with dealing with its implications and repercussions in one's life, be it positive or negative in its manifestation! That said, we can reflect on its functionality in order to comprehend how Kharmic energies affect us all in our daily lives and how to deal with them.

Now, why bad things happen to people? Its like asking how long is a piece of string? Both questions need to be understood in a meaningful CONTEXT. i.e. a piece of string between that rock and tree is X metres. Also, it must acknowledged that in general, bad things rarely happen to good people (otherwise we we would ALL be in a real mess and be a highly neurotic and weeping society!). So, bad things happening to good people are exceptions to the rule that “in general, bad things rarely happen to good people”.

Why bad things happen to good people – one example in a simplified context.

Madame is a happy, generous and caring person. But, suddenly she is diagnosed with terminal cancer! Why, oh why such bad things happen to good people – there is no God!
well, possibly, her life' lesson has reached an early maturity and she needs to evolve to a higher level. Cancer is also a Group Kharma and Madame is taking that opportunity to purge herself from that Group Kharmic load – a double Kharmic actions. And so, recalibrating her spiritual equilibrium in readiness for a new cycle (reincarnation).

This is ONE explanation among a million other explanations for why good people like Kind and Caring Madame suffers “bad things”. Only the good person burdened with a bad thing can KNOW why and no one else!

Why good things happen to bad people? Oh yes, flip side of the coin!
OK, that's for another day, perhaps....

[revolver]

For me personally there is no good and bad, things just happen, and we label those things, so called good and bad are the same coin.

Originally Posted by pilgrim11

[u]

Why good things happen to bad people? Oh yes, flip side of the coin!
OK, that's for another day, perhaps....

Good question. I'd like an answer if you have one lol, please.

[sky]

Without good there is no bad, things happen because of cause and effect rather than good/bad, that's life..

[revolver]

Originally Posted by sky123

Without good there is no bad, things happen because of cause and effect rather than good/bad, that's life..

Well said.

[sky]

Originally Posted by revolver

Well said.

Thank you
Nature has no good or bad, it just is...

[Busby]

Originally Posted by traceyacey12

can't the definition of karma as you reap what you sow also include damage (if say, you or your family or w/e did damage and its sort of coming back to you)? I know that sounds like punishment, but thats not my point.... can't this be viewed as you reap what you sow also?

Obviously it's more than difficult to know if we do really reap what we sow. But if we were in some way punished (or rewarded) by this thing called karma it would then mean that there is some sort of intelligence or determining factor behind it. It would then cease to be action and reaction, or action and effect and thus become a managed principle.
So, as we have managed to somehow turn ourselves into humans and not kangaroos 'we' must have caused actions to evolve in a certain way, this is one of the reasons I equate Karma with evolution.

Here's a good read and it can be googled.
It's an essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson with the title Compensation it really is a piece of brilliant writing.

[pilgrim11]

Originally Posted by traceyacey12

Good question. I'd like an answer if you have one lol, please.

Why good things happen to bad people? Oh yes, flip side of the coin!
Hummmm... You would ask!

Firstly, how often do good things happen to bad people?
Again, this is AN EXCEPTION to the general rule that, rarely good things happen to bad people and, thankfully so (otherwise we would be living in a chaotic and violent world where everyone gets mugged, robbed and abused willy nilly because some good things always happen to us bad people, right!).

Anyway, let me put the question in a context of sort:
There is this guy, Monsieur, a mostly sad and lonesome character and, a petty thief in his spare time! One day, to the stupefaction of all, Monsieur wins the lottery and is a millionaire overnight - Wow! Was God smoking a joint and mistakenly rewarded a thief instead of good people like you, him or her (...or ME!)?

Now, there are countless ways of interpreting this phenomenon. But, All interpretations will be variations on the same theme of Universal Spiritual Principles (Kharma, duality of life, cause/effect, reincarnation, synchronicity etc.)

One variation (among 1000s other variations) on “bad people”.
Monsieur's early childhood were negative which shaped his current negative personality and thieving lifestyle. Likely, Monsieur is not such a bad guy in his heart but he has family responsibilities and is forced into a thieving life for the sake of his wife and toddlers due to an environment of economic strife and joblessness (standard case in all societies across the World).

The Theme: The Divine Wisdom has decided to help Monsieur in mega-style, not out of a whim (or because he was smoking a joint) but purely on Spiritual Merits of Monsieur. Now, try and get your brain-box in gear and figure this out!

OK, must go and do some shopping.... Will come back and explain later ….if you're still interested.

Best wishes....

[Busby]

Originally Posted by pilgrim11

Why good things happen to bad people? Oh yes, flip side of the coin!
Hummmm... You would ask!

Firstly, how often do good things happen to bad people?
Again, this is AN EXCEPTION to the general rule that, rarely good things happen to bad people and, thankfully so (otherwise we would be living in a chaotic and violent world where everyone gets mugged, robbed and abused willy nilly because some good things always happen to us bad people, right!).

Anyway, let me put the question in a context of sort:
There is this guy, Monsieur, a mostly sad and lonesome character and, a petty thief in his spare time! One day, to the stupefaction of all, Monsieur wins the lottery and is a millionaire overnight - Wow! Was God smoking a joint and mistakenly rewarded a thief instead of good people like you, him or her (...or ME!)?

Now, there are countless ways of interpreting this phenomenon. But, All interpretations will be variations on the same theme of Universal Spiritual Principles (Kharma, duality of life, cause/effect, reincarnation, synchronicity etc.)

One variation (among 1000s other variations) on “bad people”.
Monsieur's early childhood were negative which shaped his current negative personality and thieving lifestyle. Likely, Monsieur is not such a bad guy in his heart but he has family responsibilities and is forced into a thieving life for the sake of his wife and toddlers due to an environment of economic strife and joblessness (standard case in all societies across the World).

The Theme: The Divine Wisdom has decided to help Monsieur in mega-style, not out of a whim (or because he was smoking a joint) but purely on Spiritual Merits of Monsieur. Now, try and get your brain-box in gear and figure this out!

OK, must go and do some shopping.... Will come back and explain later ….if you're still interested.

Best wishes....

So you think that karma, as we were discussing it, can be altered by 'divine intervention' ? Why does throwing the baby out with the bathwater come to mind?