What mechanism accomplishes "What goes around, comes around"?

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Is it just some folk saying, or is rooted in the Eastern belief in karma?
 
Whatever you call it, there DOES seem to be a pattern (perhaps created by God) in human history which appears to support the concept. I have seen with my own eyes the evil or sin done by individuals return to them. Just as the good we do reaps good in return.
 
The phrase “what goes around comes around” has a secular nature in that it is only concerned with this life on earth. It the philosophy behind the idea of karma.

While there are several verses in scripture that might be construed to support the secular phrase, we have to remember that scripture is referring to eternal life.

Isaiah 3:11 Woe to the wicked! It will go ill with them, with the work of their hands they will be repaid.

Proverbs 26:27 Whoever digs a pit falls into it; and a stone comes back upon the one who rolls it.

Matthew 26:52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its sheath, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword."

Galation 6:7-8 Make no mistake: God is not mocked, for a person will reap only what he sows, because the one who sows for his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows for the spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit.

All of these are really referring to what happens after we leave this world and is a way a life to protect our eternal souls, not how to earn karma while we live.
 
gelsbern said:
The phrase “what goes around comes around” has a secular nature in that it is only concerned with this life on earth. It the philosophy behind the idea of karma.

While there are several verses in scripture that might be construed to support the secular phrase, we have to remember that scripture is referring to eternal life.
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I agree, the verse that came to mind has the exact opposite message:
Matthew 5:45 says "That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh his sun to rise upon the good, and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust." This says that justice will not be found on this earth but only in eternity, when God, who is the perfect judge, will decide our fate.
 
cho_pilo said:
What makes it happen and how?
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Just a quick thought on the matter.

To me the saying is sort of an inverse of the Golden Rule.

Golden Rule (Do unto others…) states that we need to treat others as we WISH to be treated.

“What goes around…” Is simply saying you WILL be treated in the way that you treat others…

So - to kind of describe the “mechanism” - it is the simple fact that when you act, you set in motion a “react”. Put out Love and Love returns. What goes out is most often what comes back.

Hope this helps some…

Peace
James
 
JRKH said:
Just a quick thought on the matter.

To me the saying is sort of an inverse of the Golden Rule.

Golden Rule (Do unto others…) states that we need to treat others as we WISH to be treated.

“What goes around…” Is simply saying you WILL be treated in the way that you treat others…

So - to kind of describe the “mechanism” - it is the simple fact that when you act, you set in motion a “react”. Put out Love and Love returns. What goes out is most often what comes back.

Hope this helps some…

Peace
James
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Some people seem to be perpetually angry. Wherever they are, and whoever they are with, they are angry about something. Since other people will often react angrily if approached with anger, then such a person tends to see a lot more anger coming back at them than the rest of us.

Someone who is very loving, Saint Francis is a very good example, will get a very different reaction from other people and tend to get a much better reaction.

We do generally seem to have an action/reaction mechanism built into us. Game theory has even shown that in many cases a “tit for tat” strategy works well. It is also simple to operate. Give good in return for good, and bad in return for bad. It is not moral, which gives good back for bad as well, but is a common reaction. Loving your enemies is not easy.

rossum
 
seagal said:
I agree, the verse that came to mind has the exact opposite message:
Matthew 5:45 says "That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh his sun to rise upon the good, and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust." This says that justice will not be found on this earth but only in eternity, when God, who is the perfect judge, will decide our fate.
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This is exactly what I was thinking. Thanks for not making me look this up 😉

I think that sometimes people see natural consequences of unwise choices and label that as karma, or “what goes around comes around.” If I park my car illegally and it gets towed, that’s just a consequence of my action, not karma. If I treat my friends unkindly, they will leave me and I’ll end up alone. That’s just a result of my behavior, not karma.

Personally, this scripture gives me much consolation in a world that can often be so hurtful to myself and those around me.
 
rossum said:
Some people seem to be perpetually angry. Wherever they are, and whoever they are with, they are angry about something. Since other people will often react angrily if approached with anger, then such a person tends to see a lot more anger coming back at them than the rest of us.

Someone who is very loving, Saint Francis is a very good example, will get a very different reaction from other people and tend to get a much better reaction.

We do generally seem to have an action/reaction mechanism built into us. Game theory has even shown that in many cases a “tit for tat” strategy works well. It is also simple to operate. Give good in return for good, and bad in return for bad. It is not moral, which gives good back for bad as well, but is a common reaction. Loving your enemies is not easy.

rossum
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All emotion has a place, including anger which can be righteous. The determining factor as to whether or not anger is righteous and thus good, is why you are angry and to what end you are directing it. Hitting a man because he looked at you funny and made you angry is bad. Hitting a man because he just came up and grabbed your wife’s bum, or sought harm to you and/or your wife, or even a third party, and doing so “angrily”, is good. That does not mean you seek the guy out hours/days/weeks later and give him a piano wire necklace.

For what it’s worth, I expect and hope to be thoroughly bloodied if I ever do anything (God forbid) for which I would strike, stab, shoot, or otherwise harm another person.
 
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