Is Karma Overrated?

Contrary to what is preached, karma is not a rule.  But it has become a law governing the lives of many and determining what we "deserve".  Simply put, karma is nothing but a belief system.  Yet we are human beings after all; and with our construct, it is impossible to exist in a community and have no beliefs at all.  We need to hold onto some beliefs to provide a structure to our mind and existence, just like how we are born with senses like sight and hearing at a physical level to have the tactility of a human body.  Our growth experience comes not from determining what is "good"or "bad" karma but from understanding of how we relate to our thoughts on karma.  Or digging even deeper, how do we arrive at our belief system?  Why do we think the way we do?  Is that ours or have we inherited it from someone?  And how do we feel when we are acting upon your beliefs?  What have we really know about ourselves in this path of self-discovery?  The real experience of joy comes when we can peel off layers and layers of onion and become who we truly are.