How karma really works

[archerships]

[Error: unknown template video]
Via bradhicks

"There are all kinds of reasons offered why you should go out of your way to do the right thing for other people. Some people say you should do it out of fear of divine or supernatural repercussions if you don't or in hope of some supernatural reward, that is to say, for religious reasons. Some people say you should do it because you've been told to, that is to say, out of obedience. Some people say you should do it because it makes you look good, because it increases the odds that people will do nice things for you, that is to say, for your own reputation. (And I have to say that, while it was never my thought or intention, my own life proves that that the logic behind that reason is sound.) Some people say you should do it because other people will judge you harshly if you don't, they teach you to be ashamed of yourself if you don't. Some people say you should do the right thing to rid yourself of nagging feelings of debt over the nice things that have been done for you, that is to say, out of gratitude.

Some of those reasons are good reasons, some maybe not so good. But the reason that touches me the most deeply is this one: whenever you do something cruel, the people around you see that the world contains cruelty, that cruelty is within the realm of normal behavior. Whenever you do something selfish or negligent, people learn to expect selfishness and negligence. But when you do the right thing, you create a world in which other people learn that they can expect other people to do the right thing. Or, at least, they can sometimes hope others will do the right thing without being total saps. And I know that, when they're making snap decisions about how far out of their own way to go on behalf of others, people treat their experience of "how the world works" as one of the bigger, more important inputs. Every time you heal a hurt, right a wrong, or prevent harm, you get one reward immediately: you immediately, and without any social or legal or spiritual intervention needed on your behalf, get to live in a world that has one less hurt person in it, one less victim of injustice, one less harm done. And from that moment forward, you get to live in a world where that effect has rippled outwards, as that person and everybody around them and everybody who knows them lives their life, makes their own decisions, with yet one more reminder that sometimes people do do the right thing."

Comments

[greendalek.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[new-iconoclast.livejournal.com]

Damn; and I always thought it was because God would strike me with lightning if I didn't get it right. . .

[crasch.livejournal.com]

Lightning? Nah. You just won't get past the bouncer to the Celestial kingdom.

[h-postmortemus.livejournal.com]

I remember seeing this ad on TV a few months ago. I was watching Tivo so I normally skip throught he ads, just occasionally flipping back if I saw something interesting (usually involving explosions, movie trailers, scantily clad women or the like). DOn't remember why I stopped on this ad but i was impressed by it.

Very rarely is a commercial actually able to provoke an emotion from me other than annoyance, digust or frustration. I was actually slightly moved by watching this commercial. And I'm a jaded, cynical bastard.

What really helps them is how they don't go shoving their brand all over the place, don't emphasize their services, and in fact the ad really has little to do with insurance...