When we refer to "good karma" and "bad karma," it should be in reference to how it affects us. As a simple example, if I decide to take my dog for an extra long walk today because I've been ignoring her lately, that would be good karma. If instead, I decide to beat her because she was annoying me, as she needed more exercise, that would be bad karma. These are actions of my own accord, and my mind would react differently to them.
A healthy human being (mentally) would respond beneficially to doing the extra good for the dog, and they would feel terrible about beating the dog. You'd have to be depressed or otherwise out of sorts to feel annoyed or frustrated at having to walk your dog to help it burn off the nervous energy that's affecting it and giving it a great time at the park. A sociopath would possibly take pleasure in beating the dog.
We don't necessarily hold ourselves responsible for our actions. Actually, the reality is that we often eschew responsibility. Sometimes this is just water under the bridge, but other times it's baggage. Until we deal with this baggage, many of us will simply carry it with us. Sometimes we put it into a hall closet, other times we cart it up into the attic, but in the end we know it's there no matter where we put it. The human mind is complex, and as much as we'd like to think we have mastery over it, most of us don't. We might forget about the baggage for a time, but it's still there, and we will often trip over it and hurt ourselves at rather inopportune times.
And that, in the end, is the action of karma.
The discussion of whether we're inherently good seems like a completely different topic. What do you mean we aren't inherently good anymore? Do you think this is because of bad karma?
