Alisia, I'm a scientist who doesn't like the lab too!

One thing that has always put me off Buddhism (not meaning that to sound bad) is the state of Nirvana - I just don't like the belief that our highest state of being is nothingness. I do understand controlling emotions, but to aim to feel nothing... I was going to ask why God gave us emotions, both happy and sad ones, but that isn't a Buddhist belief so really stupid of me! Without being disrespectful, may I ask how you feel about this? And also about Karma - I just hate the thought that people deserve everything. I know horrid people who are happy, healthy and enjoying themselves (heck, we all know our own MiLs LOL - I actually like mine) and have friends and family I love die in such pain... I just can't believe they deserve that!

But then, I like the idea of we are judged truely after death and going to Heaven, which explains my initial religious choice before I became a Christian: if I prefered Nivana and karma as spiritual philosphies I'd probably have looked into becoming Buddhist!