My response to "Do you really believe in karma?"

I believe “When you choose an action, you choose the consequences of that action. When you desire a consequence you had damned well better take the action that would create it.” ― Lois McMaster Bujold, Memory

I believe that “Events may be horrible or inescapable. Men have always a choice - if not whether, then how, they may endure.” ― Lois McMaster Bujold, The Curse of Chalion

I believe Newton's third law:"For every action there is an equal and opposite re-action."

I believe in Raylan Given's law of assholes: “You run into an asshole in the morning: you ran into an asshole. You run into assholes all day: you’re the asshole.”

I believe that "sometimes you get what's coming around. Sometimes you ARE what's coming around." - Jim Butcher

I believe: "A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."

I believe, "It will all be alright in the end. If it is not yet alright, it is not yet the end." ~ Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

I believe in Arnold Toynbee's assessment of my country: "America is a large, friendly dog in a very small room. Every time it wags its tail, it knocks over a chair."

Got a little silly towards the end, but I live in a wonderful world full of kind people. It's why I continue to be shocked and sad and the things that happen in this world. Just today I was the recipient of acts of kindness by at least 15 people.

I don't believe in karma in the most limited sense, but the larger idea that we shape our future via our reactions to our present circumstances? Hell yeah. I also believe that we have some measure of choice about the reality we live in.

At the time, it seemed like a nice throwaway line.

It is now my avowed goal to bring this to the level of general consciousness that every time Rand Paul is publicly stupid, the reply will be:

The other, of course, involves orcs.

This was part of a round-up post by John Rogers, co-creator and producer of the TV show Leverage.  

I've now seen it quoted twice in the New York Times.  

 

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Kung Fu Monkey(blog)