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Following is a discussion question from the author for the December 2014 book of the month, "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein.

In the first chapter, Enzo says: "It's what's inside that's important. The soul. And my soul is very human." How does Enzo's situation—a human soul trapped in a dog's body—influence his opinions about what he sees around him? How do you feel about the ideas of reincarnation and karma as Enzo defines them?

I do not believe in reincarnation or karma in the magical or supernatural sense. However, I think it is so true and demonstrated so well by the story in this book that what goes around comes around. I don't think because there are magic fairies giving people what they deserve. I think it is simply the art of racing in the rain--the idea that if you stay level-headed, take responsibility for yourself and focus on the long-game that you reach your goals. If you just react to negative events, then you let them control you. For instance, it's not some magic karma that causes the person who gets caught up in an escalated road rage battle with someone else to succumb to problems as opposed to the guy who just takes a deep breathe and keeps going rather than trying to 'get even'; it's the choice to ruin yourself reacting to someone else's immaturity with foolishness as opposed to controlling your own path. What do you think?

Ditto! I agree with every word you wrote! You summed it up perfectly!

I don't believe in reincarnation as well and think like you.

I do not believe in reincarnation or Karma either, unless you want to define Karma as you will get out of the world what you put into it. I call it human nature, not a supernatural experience. You always find what you are looking for. If you are looking for trouble, you will eventually find it. If you are looking for happiness, you will eventually find it. People act a lot like Newton's Laws of Motion. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

I completely agree Scott. I sometimes allow myself to wonder what kinds of things could be possible, and I find various theories incredibly interesting. But yeah generally karma... is more like a person with bad habits who reacts without thinking.... generally ends up suffering from their own hasty actions.

I definitely do not believe in karma or reincarnation.

I dont believe in reincarnations but I do strongly believe in Karma! What you give definitely comes back to you! I have myself experienced and observed people having their own share of karma! This belief in Karma helps me in keeping away from wrong doings and hurting people!

I'm going to read "The art of racing in the rain" as it sounds like a book I desperately need right now to make me feel better.

Karma is something that's very real in my opinion, just from things I've experienced as well as the fact that how we see ourselves for the things we do affects our mindset and becomes a type of self-fulfilling prophecy. I have no firm idea on what happens after death simply because there are so many possibilities that we've imagined and so many that we haven't, but reincarnation is a very strong possibility in my mind.

Karma, I feel, is true to an extent. We get back what we put into the world. However reincarnation is up to debate, seeing no one can conclusively tell what happens to our souls after death. It is one of the many possibilities.

rssllue wrote:I definitely do not believe in karma or reincarnation.

Me neither.
Even though deep down I just actually wish I don't have any more lives because I think one is enough.
Unless I'm granted more lives so I can keep reading books. Now that's talking.

I believe in karma. As far as reincarnation, the jury is still out on that one. When I was a child, I used to get feelings of deja vu quite often. Maybe I was reincarnated and had been in that candy store before LOL Anyway, all kidding aside, I stopped getting that deja vu feeling once I got a little order, so it always made me wonder if there was something to reincarnation.

My oldest sister believes in reincarnation. There is a big age gap between us so we were young when she first talked about it. We were sitting around the picnic table and she was explaining how the little green bug that was crawling by would be reincarnated, hopefully into a higher life form. Then her two year old son gleefully stepped on it.

I generally believe that ideas like reincarnation and karma are just other forms of human coping mechanisms -- attempts to find meaning in out lives. (To borrow from Marx)Opiates for the masses, if you will. I don't think they are real or true, but they sure do help us get through life.

I definitely believe in Karma and Reincarnation. I think that they are real because whenever something good happens, I know that it is because I was putting positive energy out into the world, and the positivity was coming back to me. I believe in reincarnation, and I think that we definitely have to be the best we can, in order to appease the higher beings, and not come back as a rat.

I don't think karma exists- its just bad luck. You always have those days where you're always tripping while walking on the sidewalk. That was my feeble attempt of something

Yeah... people just have bad days... some have bad lives. My best friend was actually very unlucky for about two years... just everything just kept going wrong no matter what she tried to do. We used to joke that she was just getting all the bad karma out of the way for all the good that would come later. Though I don't think the karma theory even works that way. haha. She is doing amazing now... but.... it is due to her never giving up and continuing to work hard despite hard times.