So does anyone really believe in Karma? What I mean is the kind where you do a good deed, and it somehow mysteriously comes back to you? I'd like to believe that the more good you put out there, the more you receive in return. Unfortunately, bad things seem to happen to good people and good things happen to bad people; we don't get what we deserve.
I was shopping at Walmart yesterday with my parents. While we were waiting at the cash register, my dad found a $20 bill on the floor. He waited a minute to see if anyone was looking for their dropped money before telling my mom to pick it up. To pass on the guilt of taking someone's lost money, she gave me the bill. Holding the dirty, crumpled $20 bill in my hand, I knew it wasn't mine. It shouldn't be mine. I told my mom that I would donate it to the Salvation Army (charity) outside. She immediately snatched the bill from my hand and said "Don't be silly! I'll give it back to your dad since he found it."
I was taken aback by how strongly she stood against donating the money, but growing up in a poor family, it was no surprise to me at all. Everything we had, we kept. Everything we didn't need anymore, we kept. Everything we had in surplus, we kept. Everything that useless and free, we kept. Giving presents meant there was reciprocation, and usually an unfair trade for the other person. We were poor, but it also justified selfishness and being miserly opportunists.
Sometimes I wonder if Karma would have changed how we are today; if we would be living in more abundance and positive energy. My philosophy now is to put more positive energy into the world and receive the same in return. Its supposed to come back in some way, shape, or form, I think.