I wonder if there is such a thing as "luck". Do things just happen to us? Do things happen as a result of what we put out there in the world? Or do things happen according to arbitrary rules of what we have come to know as luck? Does the philosophical/religious idea of karma come into play with our ideas of luck? Do we get what we deserve, or do we get what we get according to chance?
I know two people, brother and sister. They are about as different as can be; the brother is moody, a bit dark, irresponsible, cynical, arrogant and immature. The sister is very even-keeled, bright and cheerful, very responsible, always gives the benefit of the doubt, modest, mature. The sister is the single most lucky person I know. She wins every contest she enters, finds money, and generally has an easy time of life. The brother has incredibly terrible luck – he has had more car accidents than anyone I know, most of which were not caused by him, and has a difficult time in most of his dealings. Although it is clear that the brother doesn't make good choices, and doesn't treat others as well as he could, which would lead to him having a more difficult time in life, I can't explain the sister's good luck as easily. She does make good choices, choices that allow her steadiness and constancy in her life. She usually thinks things through carefully before she does anything. But yet, it seems that even her mistakes turn out well, good things happen in her life that she did not plan, and people respond to her with good humour and warmth no matter what the circumstance. How is it that this is the case?
I do lean towards an idea of karma, that one good turn deserves another, and that the energy one puts out in the world comes back eventually. I have no proof of this, but my moral system is one of merit, and I like to think that we are responsible for what we do in life, good or bad. In this system, good deeds are rewarded in some way, and bad deeds punished. (That said, I also believe in second chances and redemption.) If I do something bad to someone else, I deserve to have something bad happen to me in return. Likewise, if I am a good person, I do not deserve to have bad things happen in my life. However, this is not always the case. I like to think I am a good person, kind and generous, helpful to others, conscientious and caring. But I've had a whole lot of bad things happen over the past three years or so that have made life more difficult and unpleasant. Have I done anything to deserve these things that have taken place? No. But yet, they have happened. Do I have bad luck? Or another possibility: are these things lessons that must be learned?
I'd like to open this up for comment. What do you guys think? Is there such a thing as luck? Or do we merely earn our desserts?
I dunno, I have serious doubts about luck or karma and whether they actually exist or not. I’ll explain how I’ve determined this: Over the past couple of years, I’ve seen quite a fair bit of the ‘undesirable’ aspects of human life…the drug addicts, the robbers, the drunk drivers, the abusers, etc. Many of these people live terrible lives of crime, destitution and disease. The ‘kicker’ you could say is that rarely do we ever hear of these people dying. They have untold diseases known to us, but they still hold on to life. For example, drunk drivers get into huge accidents and still survive. The basic criminal lives a life that should have untold negative karma, but still goes on. Then you have the honest, family person, driving somewhere and gets rearended, bumps his head and dies. Or the poor soul at work who dies falling off a ledge — or while hiking. How can karma or luck exist in these situations?
Karma Ghost
Kris, I LOVE this link! Thanka million!
Dave – don’t you think it’s terribly lucky that some of those drunk drivers you mention DON’T end up dead in a ditch? Or really bad luck that the family man ends up dead from a freak accident? Why do some people just seem to have a horseshoe up their ass?
I kind of think or karma and luck as opposites on a spectrum. Maybe a little of both is at play? I do think we have some degree of mastery over our own fates, that we write our own destinies. But then, when you think you’re doing okay, something comes along to bite you in the ass. Why does this happen? just to keep us in check, to let us know something out there is bigger than us?
I don’t think there’s something bigger “out there”. There is no such thing as “good” or “bad” luck. There’s only “luck”, and that’s not even the correct word. The things that happen to you are in part a result of the choices you’ve made in your life (actually a chain of choices going all the way back to birth, perhaps).
But the other part is just the random confluence of other forces you have no control over. The “Butterly Effect” (thanks, Ashton!). Any perception of good or bad is just that. Combine a random occurrence with how your life is going at the moment, and it will seem either good or bad. You could even tie it back to something you’ve done in the past if you believe in karma. But there is no intention (fate, or what have you) behind an event in your life, it is just a result of a previous chain of events that is impossible to model. How you react to such an event, however, is entirely up to you. Chaos theory rules!
No, I don’t think it’s due to luck or anything like that. Unfortunately, the reason some of these drunk idiots survive the car crashes is due to them passing out…becoming relaxed and not as suseptible to all sorts of topsyturvey action involved in a terrible crash. There are those that pay for their stupidity with their lives yes, but I think the majority of people are innocents that are killed in these instances. As a result…it has nothing to do with luck, just physics of body movement, biology and well, alcohol. Does that explain how the honest sole becomes victimized? No. But strangely enough, I do believe in chaos theory to some level.
This Karma thing is really bugging me or is it my sister who is sending messages or in contact with Karma.I hate my sister all of a sudden every time I do something bad to her instead of my mom yelling at me KARMA DOES, by hitting myself with a bat,stubbing my toe,dog bite me or falling off my skateboard.Not kool!
karmanetics has a very simple theory explaining how we are punished (all of us) and how we get rewarded.
a hard criminal who has stolen all of his life will get punished in his economic status in life, but if he has also been a very caring father and husband and never violent then maybe he could get away with injuries.
But karma is so complicated and personal, and can even pass on to the next life.
things happen. u dont know if its gnna happen to u.. u dont know whats going to happen and when. thats how life is. sometimes the nicest people who havent done anything bad in life have many troubles. speaking for myself i dont think im a bad person at all but so muchh things happend to me in my life and i always wonder why me? i dont deserve this but it happend. so if something bad happens to u or even something good let me tell u its all faith. not luck my friends… all i got to say is be strong and always think possitive no matter what
Everything is being attributed to karma.. the fact that what good we do comes back around, how can one explain the good event itself. I mean, if two people help a poor beggar by giving money, it is not necessary both are rewarded equally..one may go on to become rich and famous while the other may get riches which may not last long.. If karma exists then Luck should also co-exist..it is only that we feel we are too matured to believe in luck, but luck is but a term for “a reward for your good karma”..
well, i love this article and i have a lot to say. I, i do believe in luck, lady luck in fact. Luck do exist, it’s around us and no we can’t see it and yet hear about it until it happens to us. I believe every person in life experience luck and when they do, they’ll be like ‘lucky me’ or ‘ damn, im lucky’ But then.. when the luck phase disappears and fate comes along.. and things goes wrong, yet again, luck is involved. All your doing is blaming it on Luck, bad luck? it’s all there. Although everything happens for a reason, thats true and also luck happens for a reason. I believe if you have positive energy towards life then luck will appear, good or bad? it’s luck. but yet again in every stage of a persons life they will deny luck until good luck appears to them. I think luck goes in circles, you never know when you’ll be lucky but you will in a stage of your life, as many times though we don’t know. We live life everyday expecting good and bad luck, Though we never know when it arrives, just live life as positive as you can, you will have your ups and downs and you will blame it on Luck, or you’ll just say that’s life its meant to happen both ways its the same. Luck plays a huge role in our lives and im not saying fate doesn’t but you cant go around blaming you wrong on luck when its fate, and you cant go on blaming fate and calling it bad luck.