What goes around,...?
Details on this one later, but are you accumulating 'good karma' if you lend money to someone who's probably going to use it on, say, drugs, anyway? Would it just be 'better karma' to refuse to give the money in that case, or are you then accumulating 'bad karma' for not respecting the person's will (i.e., the "will", or lack of it, that keeps them on drugs)?
We at home, i.e., my roommates and myself, landed ourselves into a 'situation' that we later discussed in depth. I'm still thinking about it, so I'll post back soon, but I'm awaiting comments and thoughts on this one... oral or verbal.
P.S. I don't believe in karma - if I do something it is because I believe it needs to be done and it's right to do it at that point in time - I'm not a do-gooder for the prospect of future happiness, etc.
We at home, i.e., my roommates and myself, landed ourselves into a 'situation' that we later discussed in depth. I'm still thinking about it, so I'll post back soon, but I'm awaiting comments and thoughts on this one... oral or verbal.
P.S. I don't believe in karma - if I do something it is because I believe it needs to be done and it's right to do it at that point in time - I'm not a do-gooder for the prospect of future happiness, etc.
posted by Summer Showers at
2:58 PM
4 Comments:
when you offer help or lend money, the purpose for which it is lent is very important.. especially if you know the money is going to be used for drugs,or something that is equally unhealthy.. i dont see why the money should be lent.
however, assume the person has taken the money on the pretext of health problems, and then he had used it on drugs,etc.. thats something that you can do nothing about, simply because, u have been fair and just.
lending when it can be used for drugs, implies that even you have committed a sin, considering, in future that same person would again borrow to cure himself.. or that you are fostering and thus encouraging him to do something that isnt right...
the act of helping a person in need is important.. but its equally important that "the need" be justified.
By
Anonymous, at Tuesday, June 17, 2008 10:41:00 AM
Well, I don't know about 'sin' and all those abstract concepts, but yes, I do believe in lending (or borrowing) only when it is really justified.
I will post soon about the incident that started this train of thought. Of course, I don't KNOW what the money is being used for - one can always hope for the best - but the manner in which J (the littlest roommate) and I were approached for the money makes us think, on reflection, that it will not be put to any good use.
All these thoughts are also a function of one's faith in human nature. I hope mine is justified but I fear in this case that it is not.
-Summer.
By
Summer Showers, at Tuesday, June 17, 2008 12:20:00 PM
Reply to your P.S: So you are saying you believe in Dharma by doing the right thing at any given point of time and don't think about it in terms of Karma (i.e. accounting of good and bad deeds), which essentially is also part of Dharma. Sounds like you actually are following Dharma/Karma whether you believe in it or not.
By
Jean Valjean, at Monday, June 30, 2008 11:34:00 PM
Jean: It is my belief that the word 'karma' is misunderstood in the 'West'. In the original sanskrit of Hinduism, it simply means 'doing your job' in accordance with Dharma ('the rules to live life by'). In that sense, yes, they do go together. What I am trying to say is that the part of 'karma' that deals with 'future happiness' has been harped upon without talking of that which guides you in your karma. I don't believe in that 'future happiness' part - I simply do... based on the rules (my Dharma) in my head. Makes sense?
By
Summer Showers, at Sunday, July 06, 2008 9:46:00 PM
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