Politics and Religion for Those Longing to be Left Behind.
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Hubris
The surest way to screw something up is to brag about what a good job you've done on it. Wouldn't you agree? Is this Karma or hubris? I'm too tired to look it up.
I'd say hubris -- Karma doesn't kick in until the next life. (Although we impatient Westerners have sped up the process a bit in our co-opting of the word. We do love our "instant" everything!)
hubris [ˈhjuːbrɪs] n 1. pride or arrogance 2. (in Greek tragedy) an excess of ambition, pride, etc., ultimately causing the transgressor's ruin.
karma [ˈkɑːmə] n 1. The principle of retributive justice determining a person's state of life and the state of his reincarnations as the effect of his past deeds.
As a syncrectic Tibetan Buddhist, I would say that karma (which simply refers to cause and effect, not punishment--undesired outcomes are a natural result of our actions performed in ignorance) can ripen immediately in some cases, so it doesn't *always* wait til a later life to manifest. But I agree hubris is the proper term for this. And watching hubris play out--"bigger they are, harder they fall"--may make for less bored gods!
Rick -- you say, "And watching hubris play out--"bigger they are, harder they fall"--may make for less bored gods!" do you mean that the gods are less bored or that there are less of the gods that are bored? That's one of those that requires tone of voice....
7 comments:
I'd say hubris -- Karma doesn't kick in until the next life. (Although we impatient Westerners have sped up the process a bit in our co-opting of the word. We do love our "instant" everything!)
It's payback... :)
hubris [ˈhjuːbrɪs] n
1. pride or arrogance
2. (in Greek tragedy) an excess of ambition, pride, etc., ultimately causing the transgressor's ruin.
karma [ˈkɑːmə] n
1. The principle of retributive justice determining a person's state of life and the state of his reincarnations as the effect of his past deeds.
Hubris also know as excessive pride.
life...
Uh-oh.......
As a syncrectic Tibetan Buddhist, I would say that karma (which simply refers to cause and effect, not punishment--undesired outcomes are a natural result of our actions performed in ignorance) can ripen immediately in some cases, so it doesn't *always* wait til a later life to manifest. But I agree hubris is the proper term for this. And watching hubris play out--"bigger they are, harder they fall"--may make for less bored gods!
Rick -- you say, "And watching hubris play out--"bigger they are, harder they fall"--may make for less bored gods!"
do you mean that the gods are less bored or that there are less of the gods that are bored? That's one of those that requires tone of voice....
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