There are a few issues to pick out from the confusion of Eastern religiosity embodied within the karmometer. Leaving aside the misappropriation of ancient, venerable and often quite tolerant world views for petty, spiteful ends; I feel that if we are to keep this measure of a person’s worth it should carry greater consequence than either John's whinging or Fred’s spitefulness. (There you go guys, an even handed distribution of opprobrium to unite disparate factions against a common cause, with no emoticon to modify meaning).
To that end I propose changing the present system by extending it to it’s logical theologically inevitable conclusion.
I propose a system more in line with the Hindu concept that ones actions in a previous life determine the progress of an individual towards the assimilation with the Godhead that is Nirvana.
Should ones ultimate karmic balance be negative then upon rebirth one is consigned to ride a bike less good than your current one, some thing brought down Halfords; a Apollo full susser perhaps, not one of the surprisingly bloody marvelous Chris Boardman range. Those gaining an overall positive performance management assessment get to upgrade to an eXXp (riding a Catalyst, I’d settle for an Enduro). You get the idea.
Given that assimilation to the Godhead is the aim, we all may aspire to incorporation into a hand woven Colnago carbon fiber frame when we die if we arrange to be cremated near enough to the factory for some of our stray carbon to slip in or to be so geologically perspicacious that we are buried so as to become an oil deposit used millions of years hence to produce nanotubes.
It is comforting to realize that we must all must have lead fairly blameless previous lives otherwise we would not be astride such great bikes as we are. So let’s not jeopardise our eternal cycling ecstasy by bickering.
Love and peace to all.
James