Karma 102: Not just for Buddhists!

I guess I'm on a roll. Music and late nights seems to wake up the writer in me, or at least the random invented or personalized fact stater within me. Who cares? I don't.

Karma, as stated before, is a never-ending optimistic view on everything in life. Its a system where the believer is rewarded for doing what is right. It is also commonly believed to be directly associated with Buddhism and associated as being the core belief in the religion. I.E. if you believe in Karma, you are a buddhist.
I think that's highly unfair and entirely untrue.

From this stems a personal, controversial, belief of mine own that I will happily argue or at least stand behind. All religions, at the heart, are the exact same. Thus, I believe religion is simply a man-made system of beliefs which guides us in a far more humble median (which in itself has its own proofs of vanity...but that's for some other "I'm feeling opinionated" night.)
(I don't know where this writing urge came from...but I like, I feel really smart right now. Or at least opinionated!)

Mankind refuses to believe things can happen because...*deep breath* nothing. Hell, I sound and feel crazy thinking it. Who knows, I could be! However, don't all religions point out some kind of central system which is supposed to make us act in a certain way which is right, and condemn certain actions as wrong or bad?
Were not the mentally handicapped once ostricized and banished and stoned to death because they were believed to be possessed by the devil or by bad spirits or by demons? Murders were of a similar take as well! They were simply bizzarely different (not that I condone murder...don't put words in my mouth here...) in how they acted or their morale code.
This didn't coincide with the morale code which God, Buddha, and other such dieties placed upon man kind. Their actions were either strange and required some form of healing...or were outright wrong, requiring punishment or atonement.

Mankind, even in its most innocent however, was still guilty. Monks of all sects and divisions of asian religions (and the Hindu) pray for enlightenment and rebirth concepts. The closer to enlightenment, the closer to the heavens you get. Those who worship the bible, of which there are many sects and divisions of their own, all preach some form of praying for forgiveness, or at least a pre-destined salvation (Calvinists? I'm unsure.) through which mankind could be redeemed from some kind of mortal sin or, in the case of many Asian-continental religions, lack of understanding.

Now, I'm not saying religion is "Mankinds way of pointing out what they don't know..." or some other 'pro-science, pro-evolution, pro-big-bang' hoo-doo. I'm just saying, isn't that pretty much EVERY religion of modern society in a nutshell?
1 God, many gods, however many you have or believe in, they all preach a morale code.

Maybe religion is just mankind refusing to take credit for their own morality!
What if religion is simply mankind (although vain in saying we're shaped after some almighty being and thus are A-mazing for it) trying to give their all-guiding sense of morality a 'works-cited'.
Since just about ALL of society believes killing another human is bad...wouldn't that make certain forms of sense?

All I'm saying is that, Karma and other morale codes can apply to any religion at its core.
Same with just about everything. Break it down to its core, and you can apply it everywhere.

Basic english is used in basic math...and basic math is found in basic english (or any other language...lets try and have Zack ACTUALLY be politically correct here...)
Example needed? Try iambic pentameter my friends.
Basic english (or another language...) is needed for basic science.
Not obvious enough? Explain to me ANYTHING scientific in ANYWAY without using words. Heck, give me 1000 numbers and I might think you're just doing complex math. Also, without a language...you aren't allowed to use variables...yea that's right...k can't be used to substitute for the flexibility of your awesome slinky (which wouldn't exist if this things didn't work together...AND SLINKYS ARE AWESOME) which would make the comprehension, let alone the possibility, of physics far more daunting than it already is.

Karma, being an optimistic outlook in which you are rewarded for acting in a positive way towards others...and are repaid for the moments of strife with brighter days later...
Is pretty much like Heaven. Do good things, repent for your sins, and be nice to people no matter the circumstances and one day you'll walk through the pearly gates and into eternal salvation.
Its also pretty much enlightenment. Do good things, learn from everyone you meet, which usually requires you to help them so they may help you without their knowing. You gain by giving, and you will one day know enough to join all those who found enlightenment before you, then you too will be reborn amongst the heavens.

Religion may indeed exist...let me not say otherwise. Hell, I'd love to believe there's a higher power. There are days where I doubt...sure...
But if I live life as a good person, doubting or not, I'm pretty much set.

After all, I'm only human you know! I'm not perfect.