The notion of Karmic consequence
First and foremost, I am in no way challenging the Hindu, Sikh, Jain, or Buddhist philosophy of Karma. I won’t even pretend to grasp the existence of Karma the way it is meant to be understood by religious standards. My qualm is with the overused, cliche, and Westernized “understanding” of Karma.
I hear so many people question their Karma on a daily basis. I often contemplated the same thing after having all of my stuff stolen (I still hate you, whoever you are). However, I’ve realized that most of us have no idea what we are talking about with regards to Karmic cause and effect. I’ll start with myself…
I’ve gone through ups and downs like any other person on this planet. It’s the “downs” that usually cause a person to ponder justification. Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this? Enter temporary and partial belief in Karma. Have I done more “bad” than “good” to entitle me to this? Do I have bad Karma!?!
Ridiculous!
Life does not work that way. There isn’t a balance element to a person’s life with regards to good and evil deeds. Life just happens. I think you can control certain elements, but in general, it’s usually going to be a surprise. You can’t worry about the things you have done in the past. Furthermore, you can’t fret over the things that will happen in the future. I’m pretty sure there are serial killers who have had better fortune than some missionaries. You have to adjust your mindset to be able to adapt to anything. Which brings me to other people…
I’ve seen some shitty things happen to wonderful people in the last week. I sat and listened as they questioned their own Karma while simultaneously thinking, “damn, you are as pure as they come…this is not a matter of Karma”. I’ve also seen great things happen to bad people. Hell, the people who took my shit got a pretty good deal out of being thieving, spineless bitches.
This really isn’t a “winnable” argument either way. Some people think the way I do. Some people believe that what goes around will truly come around. Without the gift of foresight, there is no way to tell. I just think Karma needs to be omitted from the debate…
