KARMA CLAPTRAP

KARMA CLAPTRAP
(Victim Thinking, Irrational Thinking, Egocentric Thinking, Wishful Thinking)

"No good deed goes unpunished." - Clare Boothe Luce, prominent 20th century Author, WWII war
correspondent, post-war Congresswoman and U.S. Ambassador to Italy.

As history repeatedly demonstrates, total jerks and evildoers often end up with money, power, and personal success.  Doing "good" or being "nice," in fact, guarantees nothing.
All-too-often women have been misled by their friends, family, and the current social mores - to
believe (regardless of the overwhelming evidence against) that they live in an ultimately
just and fair universe. In their world view, good people (like themselves) are ultimately rewarded
(although, conveniently when it comes to having to provide proof, often not it this life).  Sooner
or later, the bad guys get their  deserved comeuppance. For them, the pathway through which this
moral equilibrium functions is Karma.

The undeniable presence of unfairness and suffering among the innocent, as well as the distinct possibility that there is no afterlife, are difficult pills for MissLed women (and most others)
to swallow. As a result, they look for evidence, no matter how unsubstantiated, that these unpleasant aspects of life are offset with something that is just and beautiful. Karma is today's MissLed women's faddish belief that there's an eternal force for good. Indeed, their propensity for wishful thinking and emotional reasoning permits this irrational belief to become part of their worldview.  In addition, when they discover that some liar or cheater later has some misfortune, their confirmation bias often misleads them into believing that Karma was the mechanism for cosmic justice.  Conversely, when something tragic or unjust happens to a person who is clearly virtuous, they ignore that evidence that disconfirms Karma's supposed effect. Despite the lack of credible evidence, Karma is a concept that MissLed women have often embraced enthusiastically. Having faith in Karma's existence speaks to their emotional yearnings for fairness and justice.  It also serves to allay any fears or doubts they have that life may be meaningless. 

Wishful thinking and emotional reasoning aside, Karma is a superstition. It is akin to believing that
carrying a rabbit's foot will bring good luck. There is no Karma, and no evidence that the universe is
just or fair - and no rational reason that it should be. Sometimes life is fair,
many times it's not...That's just how it is.  Why have millions of innocent children 
suffered horribly from hunger and disease? Karma would have people believe that it
must be the sins of their (unnamed) ancestors.

Still, for numerous MissLed women, Karma persists as their most common, comforting
irrational belief.  They have come to rely on this Karma nonsense to convince themselves that the wrongs or insults in their lives or the world - as they perceive them - will be addressed through some form of spiritual intervention.

Disturbingly, Karma is now spoken of with seriousness and respect in some official and
professional circles. Even the AD COUNCIL (a U.S. government-sponsored organization that
purports to spread socially redeeming messages) has spread this faddish and superstitious
concept.  In their 2007 misguided attempt to increase volunteerism, they appealed for people
to volunteer for "Karmic" reasons.  It is telling that this message was developed by an Advertising
Agency.  Madison Avenue is quite skilled in creating emotionally appealing propaganda that has
little or no relation to the truth.

MissLed women's widespread belief in Karma is also explained by the simplicity of its seductive message.  Indeed, the only requirement for  MissLed women need to do to promote good Karma is to be "good." By doing so, they'll surely benefit - sooner or later. The MissLed women and misguided men who hold this belief, however, don't think about Karma critically. They don't bother to ask why it is that bad things randomly happen to good people and good things happen so often to those
that are clearly evil.

Karma remains a trendy belief for MissLed women largely because it's so convenient, simplistic and emotionally appealing. It also aligns neatly with one of their beliefs biases known as the "just-world phenomenon or "just-world fallacy."  This is the tendency for people to believe that the world is just  - and therefore people get what they deserve:

"You've heard that what goes around comes around, or maybe you've seen a person get what is coming to them and thought, "That's karma for you." These are shades of the Just-world fallacy." David McRaney, You are Not So Smart, (NY:  Gotham Books, 2012)109-110.


For just-world believers, facing a blatant injustice will lead them to look for ways to explain or rationalize it away. These explanations or rationalizations include the non-rational strategies of denial and withdrawal, and, at times, reinterpretations of the event to a more emotionally satisfying point of view. Karma is MissLed women's most popular choice for the mechanism involved, as it supplies  a simple and convenient explanation.
Believing in Karma permits MissLed women to self-righteously look at their own good fortune
and proclaim, "I deserve this! I earned it." It also lets them explain the bad fortunes
of others by exclaiming "They deserve that! They've earned it."

Faith in Karma is yet another indicator of many MissLed women's self-centeredness.
It permits them to have a gross misconception of their own importance.  Their trust in "Karma" to ensure justice for their needs and happiness is naïve at best, foolhardy at worst. In fact, if
 MissLed women want what is "good" or "right," they better do something proactive  - because
Karma won't be of any assistance.

Karma can also be a childish, petty wish of vengeance upon those who allegedly hurt or humiliated or insulted MissLed women. They are simply wishfully thinking Karma will avenge wrongs. Karma is their magical tool to wage war against evil wrongdoers (in their eyes). It parallels the primal desire for revenge, and Karma conveniently allows MissLed women both to feel satisfied that their opponents are getting what they "deserve" and they can feel guiltless as the mechanism is not controlled by them.  In fact, many MissLed women who are invoking Karmic wishes
are actually demonstrating anger - a dark, even cruel wish for harm to come to the person who supposedly hurt them.  In this way, they can still present themselves to the world as a calm, peaceful person who is "loving."

For a convincing refutation of Karma - with an American twist - consider the
long-suffering demises of both acclaimed actor Christopher Reeve and his
beloved and devoted wife Dana Reeve.  He suffered a long and eventually
fatal plight after being paralyzed by a fall from a horse.  Tragically, after years
of faithfully caring for her husband, Dana Reeve was struck down in the prime of her life with lung
cancer.
According to all accounts, both were valiant, resilient and kind people, even in the midst of battling
their maladies. Did the Reeves or their ancestors commit some hidden misdeeds that led to their suffering and eventual deaths?
"On August 9, 2005 Reeve announced that, although she had
NEVER smoked cigarettes, she had been diagnosed with lung cancer. 
Dana Reeve, who'd won admiration for her devotion to her husband, the
actor Chistopher Reeve, died April 9.
"She had a light within her that was captured by the way people talked
about her today, especially her son and stepchildren," Hillary
Clinton said after the private service. "She was one of
the most exceptional people I have ever known.
Apr 10, 2006 7:47 pm US/Eastern
Celebrities Pay Tribute To Dana Reeve NEW YORK (AP)

How do MissLed women (and misguided men) who are Karma believers explain that?  Probably
by claiming that there's some inexplicable or superstitious force at play in the
situation.
Rational people, in contrast, do not expect the world to balance out between good and
evil. They prefer to see the world as it really works. They might be tempted to quip,
ala Clare Boothe Luce, that the inexplicably tragic story of the Reeves' is just another
case of "no good deed goes unpunished."  In any case, the cold, harsh truth is that nobody understands why such things happen to the wonderful, the young, or the innocent.  As frustrating and emotionally unappealing as it is, some things remain inexplicable.

However much many MissLed women want to believe in Karma, however, the truth remains, good things do happen to good people. Good things happen to bad people too. Also, bad things happen to
good people, as well as bad things happen to bad people. The only thing that can be counted on
is unpredictability. In fact, chaos - unpredictable, unfair, random -  not Karma, rules.
   
WHY DOES KARMA CLAPTRAP MATTER? A misplaced, delusional faith in Karmic justice often excuses inaction.  It discourages MissLed women from the proactively search for justice, and it can encourage the acceptance of injustice. In addition, belief in Karma discourages a sober evaluation
of the actual realities of today's world.  MissLed women don't understand - or accept - that organized
chaos is the way the world operates. People are best served to accept this ugly truth
and then strive to navigate through it as best they can. The unpleasant fact remains that much of what happens throughout life is pure chance, completely unrelated to justice:.

"To be sure, you would like to live in a world where people in white hats bring people in black hats to justice, but you don't." David McRaney, You are Not So Smart, (NY:  Gotham Books, 2012) 111.
=====================================================================
- Excessive pride, their wishful sword of imaginary self-defense
- seeking "justice" that the offenders will "pay" for their wrongdoings
- fantasy of Karma waging their private war of revenge for those who "offended" them, or of their frustrations - even minor insults or mere
irritants.
"Disaster and death, we discover, fall on sinners and saints, on black hats and white hats alike." Judith Viorst, Necessary Losses:
The Loves, Illusions, Dependencies, and Impossible
Expectations That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Grow, (NY: Ballantine Books, 1986) 314.