500 ways to improve your Karma?

Ok ... so I am going to diverge a little from my usual musings about politics and move into somethinga little more universal; Life, Love, and Karma.
I was walking down the back alley by my house tonight. Through the puddles and the rain I could see the dark shapes of the transient population making their way into the Knox shelter. The pebbles pressed hard against the soles of my feet and I could feel them through the thin shell of my shoes. I could feel the dampness seep through my socks finally resting against my toes and heels. It wasnt the first time I felt this way but for some reason it really struck me that this isnt my home. It is familliar and comfortable but something is amiss. I dont really enjoy being recognized everywhere I go. I am happy when I go out and dont see someone I know or feeling pressed to make pleasantries with casual aquaintances. There is an overwhelming sense of responsibility that accompanies being part of a community and the more time I spend here the more I recognize how suffocatingly small this city is.
I was on my way to a friend's house. She had just broken up with her boyfriend of a few months and was in an awful state. It was not because she had lost the only person she ever loved or because she was worried that he was the one and that that was it for her. Quite the opposite actually. It was because there was no justification or reason given. That seems to be a growing trend lately. There doesnt seem to be any reason or justification for most of what is happening in the world. The world as a whole seems to be in flux right now. Countries are being demolished and others are being built and the politics surrounding it all are being veiled and no one is sure about what is going on everywhere. The world is in flux. My world is in flux. As a wise person once said, "these are the times you really know that you are alive." But frankly, this is of no consolation. I dont see why things need to fall apart before you can know that they are real. This is not a plea for a eutopia... I am more realistic than that ... it is simply a statement of the obvious. I never would have imagined that the world as a whole would mimic my little microcosm in anyway... but I am starting to realize the effect that it is having on me and the people around me.
Chaos.
The is a book I passed by the other day that was tittled, "500 ways to improve your Karma." At the time I smiled and blew it off as an even mmore useless self help book than all of those "relationship books for dumies" or "soup for the soul" books you can find at any store. But the more I think about it the better it sounds. When one is at his wits end ... what else can you do but relinquish your sense of control to a higher power. This is where you find the creating of cults and other fringe groups. They offer the same kinds of advice and "relief" offered by this type of material. I wonder if perhaps we are all being brainwashed by catchy phrases and old cliches.
Some questions ... more of the rhetorical type but feel free to offer any wisdom or thoughts on the subjects.
What ever happened to monogymy? Why are so many people affraid to commit to anything in their lives (school, work, people, etc.)? How much impact does the rest of the world really have on the peripheral nations (like ours)? etc.
Just some rantings ...
~V