if I go through life always trying to do the right thing, why do I keep getting all this stuff back?

I’ve always struggled with the idea behind the theology of reward and punishment which as you ask is a belief that if I do all the ‘right things’ obey all the rules I will be rewarded. Such notions do not exist in nature where the rain falls on the “good”  and the “bad”.

Then there is the idea of “the Secret” where like attracts like, so if I’m positive, positive things will happen to me. The rub being that I must to my very core be “positive” which requires that I do the work to “”Know my Self” which requires embracing the negative and the positive within our selves. Misunderstood  we end up putting on the face of positively pretending all is well when we are hurting.

Or Karma mistakenly  associated with Justice. Good things must happen to good people bad things to bad people as that only fair. If I desire that “karma” will punish those that have harmed me… what karma am I putting into play?

I think it should be enough to do what is right because you feel it is right and that that is who you are. There are no mistakes other then those we don’t learn from. Learn better, do better what more can you ask of yourself?

Positivity is great however if your suppressing your feelings in order to do so that is not positivity.

One day the farmer’s horse ran away. His neighbor hears of his bad news and comes over to commiserate.
“I hear that you lost your horse. That is bad news and bad luck.” “Well, who knows?” said the farmer, “Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t.”

Well, the next day the farmer’s horse returns to his stable, but it has brought along a drove of wild horses
it has befriended and who make themselves at home. The neighbor across the way can’t believe what he hears about his friend. He decides to come over and congratulate him. “This is such goodness,” he says. “Well, who knows,” said the farmer, “Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t.”

The next day the farmer’s son decided to ride one of the new wild horses, to break it in. As luck would have it, the son was thrown from the horse and broke his leg. Of course, upon hearing this sad news, their neighbor came over to offer condolences. “This is such sad thing,” he said. “Your son has broken his leg. This is bad news.” “Well, who knows,” said the farmer. “Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t.”

On the following day soldiers came by commandeering and army. They took sons from most of the surrounding farms, but because the farmer’s son had a broken leg, he could not go and was spared. And well, maybe it was good news and maybe it wasn’t. Who knows what is good and what is not.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by Peter.