What's Up article: Karma

Enough about comedy, let’s talk about karma.
And just to clarify, I’m not talking about the "Law of Karma" that is central in Dharmic religions. No, I’ll be opining on the general wishy-washy karmic philosophies of the general public.
Let me start out by saying that there is absolutely nothing wrong with believing in things like holding open doors for people will grant you a reward in your future. I know quite a few people who firmly accept that picking up hitchhikers will mean they’ll have better success when they decide to poke their thumb out on the road. And the list of such examples goes on.
So why do so many people, who generally go through their lives following an empirical method, choose to accept the existence of karma?
If one were to take a few logical steps beyond the simple formula of: “I do something nice = something nice happens to me”, you’ll arrive to some interesting metaphysical realms.
Obviously, if you do indeed believe in karma (even in its general sense), you have to accept that there is some objective cosmic force keeping an eye on all these checks and balances. Would it not be in your best interest to examine or even reflect on what this outside force is?
Karma usually comes up in conversation when one has wronged you. “What goes around, comes around”, is an extremely popular saying, and one that ties directly into the wishy-washy kind of karma.
Wishing or hoping that something ill will happen to someone that has done harm to you doesn’t sound like a healthy karmic attitude. The same could be said about the reverse, where doing good deeds will offer some reward in the future. This is likely not what Dharmic believers have in mind when it comes to karma.
Putting stock in an ethereal force to take care of your comeuppance sounds a little ridiculous when you think about it. And yet, few people do.
Again, there’s nothing wrong with that, but then, why hold a belief system you don’t bother to examine or even understand?
Of course you’re perfectly free to not bother, but it just seems lazy. If you are perfectly comfortable with having a general disinterest of how your belief system works, great. I think at least admitting that much would one some good.
I know it takes a lot of mental work to hold down an objective belief system, likely why I don’t have one, and why most folks enjoy their lazy karma.
So yes, I’m also guilty of holding down vague beliefs, but I’m not naïve enough to assume that I could lock down a personal philosophy without the research. I generally cringe at the thought of holding down an objective belief system (it’s the free-will advocate in me). At least, I can honestly admit my spiritual wishy-washy-ness works for me.
I have firmly decided on thing though. Everything I choose to believe could be completely wrong. Trust me, this really helps my amicable disposition.
So, if you really want to ditch the concept of altruism and subscribe to the karmic bank of consequence, that’s perfectly fine. Making the step to admit you don’t care about your beliefs is heading in a better direction, than not bothering to do anything at all.Hmm, maybe I should’ a talked about comedy.