Karma means that our actions accumulate imaginary good and bad points, which we eventually cash out. While we can find anecdotal evidence this is true, it can also be a major source of anxiety. The expectations usually don’t match reality.
Let’s imagine, for a moment, that karma exists in two forms:
- Positive Karma – You do something good and receive an unrelated reward.
- Negative Karma – You do something bad and get penalized in an unrelated way.
Negative Karma
FAFO (F*** Around and Find Out) undeniably exists—actions have consequences, sometimes immediate and harsh. Speeding increases your chances of a crash. Drinking and driving can still get you pulled over and your car taken. FAFO.
The idea of negative karma assumes that good and bad karma points don’t cancel each other out. You can save an abandoned kitten, put it in your car, then drink and drive—and FAFO will produce the same result, regardless of your earlier good deed. The kitten might even increase the odds of a crash.
The problem with believing in negative karma is that life constantly hits us with setbacks. Small ones, big ones, unexpected ones. Was that bad news today caused by my road rage last night? Probably not. A lot of what happens to us is random. Believing in karma can make us assume responsibility for things completely unrelated to our actions, which can be mentally exhausting.
Positive Karma
The reverse-FAFO is even more suspicious-the idea that doing good leads to good things happening to us.
Giving money to a beggar might make us feel great. But was it truly a “good” act? Maybe, maybe not. Then, five minutes later, something positive happens. Was it caused by our kindness, or was it just coincidence? Likely the latter. Most good deeds don’t trigger rewards, and many aren’t even really good.
This positive karma idea ties to a cognitive distortion called “Heaven’s Reward Fallacy”—the belief that if we put in effort and do good, we are guaranteed a positive outcome. Sometimes, yes. But just as often, the opposite happens.
People have understood this for thousands of years. In Bulgaria, there’s a saying: “Do good and throw it behind your back.” In other words, do good without expecting a reward. Some of that is also in the Bible (Matthew 6:1-4). The biblical positive karma exists as long as you do your good deeds in secrecy.
Do I Believe in Karma?
I believe we should be kind and understanding toward each other—not because the universe will reward us, but because life is tough. The only way to make it tolerable is if we all make an effort and help each-other.
So, do I believe in karma? No. But I do believe in the principles behind it: We should hold ourselves to a high standard, take responsibility for our actions, and strive to do good—without expecting the universe to pay us back.
Veselin.blog 
This is an excellent topic!
Ever since watching “Smoke” in 1995 I started to believe in the balance of the Universe, and as an extension of it, karma.
There is a reverse point of view about what you’ve described above. Life also hits you with the occasional luck and good fortune. You should be aware of that. Basically you should do something good when something nice happens to you, or when someone helps you in any way. That’s more or less the “Pay it forward” way. That random act of kindness and support needs to be balanced by you being that random act of kindness for someone else.
I’m not sure if I’ve shared with you why I sent you a copy of “High Performance MySQL” in 2009 =) I was about to become a father, and I needed some karma points … in advance. I was expecting a difficult year ahead, and tried to prepare by doing what I consider good deeds for random people. This book was one of many things I tried. I was also a sponsor for a local OpenFest in Rousse. I paid the submission fee for Yurukov.net and entered it into the BWA awards in 2009 (and the site won the blogging category award). I created the “Az Glasuvam” project to encourage participation in the upcoming elections in 2009. I sent someone very bright and motivated a copy of a book we’ve discussed.
In the end, I believe it worked =) I know I’m probably self-delusional about it, and I’m not sure if that’s a bad thing.
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I keep that book at a prominent spot. It helped me master MySQL. It’s one of the few tech books that I read twice and I’m due to checking it again because it has a 5th edition.
The thing is that I had to get rid of the belief in karma to free myself from panic attacks. I still think I need to do things like that, and I try to do small good deeds, but I don’t believe I accumulate good points.
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I dealt with anxiety for about 8 years. Read many books on the subject of cognitive distortions. Unfortunately, for me, karma functioned as one of many I identified and eradicated. It’s possible that it was not a cognitive distortion. But I feel better without it 🙂
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I’m really glad that book was helpful! I also have it high praise, and it has saved my bacon many many times, I have a physical copy of it as well =)
It’s tough with the panic attacks. I’ve someone really close who is struggling with that as well, and I’ve seen how it wears you down.
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I’ve not had one in 3 years. For me the years of studying thinking errors put me on the right path but I couldn’t have put the pieces together without therapy. I did several months of CBT and exposure therapy.
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My belief in karma varies a lot. Sometimes I absolutely believe it and sometimes not. If my weird life of pancake flippin’ is due to karma, I wonder what the F I did in my last life to deserve it… I must’ve been a criminal or an animal abuser or something.
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These are wonderful thoughts. I stand by what the Bible says, ‘Do not let your right hand know what your left hand is doing’…and I absolutely agree with the principles you mention. I like the Bulgarian saying too, something to practice?
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Absolutely, we need to practice being good all the time.
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Well put. I think everything has natural order and I happen to believe in Karma.
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