Karmic Payback

I read Dilbert. The other day Dogbert uttered an expression I could appreciate: "I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it."

I think this is a fantastic example of the dangers of assuming fate can or will be our guide in life. It allows us not only to rely on luck, but to misuse and abuse the ideas of karma, justice and good will. Replacing cruelty with "just desserts" and a streak of good fortune brought on by kindness with "random chance".

Do you find yourself mastering your own journey and finding reasons behind the results of your life, or do you find yourself assuming that it is enough to rely on your past maturity and your credentials and hope the future pulls through for you?

Of course, I also like the quote because I use the mentality myself. As John Cusack's character says in Grosse Pointe Blank: "If I show up at your door, chances are you did something to bring me there."

It's a duality I suppose, sometimes you have to assume Karma knows what it's doing, sometimes you need to look for better reasons.

[Side note: I'm going out of town for four days. Hopefully I'll be able to post but if not, expect the next update on Saturday evening.]