Karma

So hey, I just decided to write about my thoughts about Karma while sitting at home sick. I know it's long, but trust me, it's good. I'd love to hear what yall think about it :) :

Whether you call it fate, divine intervention, or just plain luck, Karma influences all our lives. From the start of all our lives it has been taught to us that good things come to those who are good to others. You know the golden rule? Well have you ever wondered why simply “Treat others how you’d like to be treated,” or my personally favorite version “Don’t punch a small kid if you don’t want his big brother to punch you,” is so important it’s golden? Well have you ever thought about what that rule is really describing? It’s Karma. You can go ahead and argue till you’re blue about “Karma doesn’t exist” and “that’s just superstition” but look, maybe you call it by a different name but if the idea of Karma doesn’t exist, why is the golden rule devoted to it? That’s what I thought, now shut up and listen.

Bad people and bad actions bring about bad consequences. This is a fact. Sure, people sometimes seemingly get away with it, but eventually it catches up, but more on that later. Personally, being a Christian, I see Karma as the God’s influence in the world. Without it, people would have to spend a lifetime doing well and never be repaid until they died. Now that reward is more than worth it, but life would still kinda suck. Thanks to Karma, people can see the benefits of their actions before death, an attractive deal at that. Those who believe differently than me will commonly see Karma as the overruling force in the universe, either that or fate. Call it what you will; Karma is the universe’s system of bringing good fortune to those who deserve it.

“Wait a minute Mr. Man, plenty of good things has happened to me that I had done nothing to deserve. How does your little Karma idea explain that?” Well Mr. Pessimist, Karma doesn’t always work after the fact. On many occasions, Karma, often called luck in this situation, will bring good fortune in expectation of a good deed. Now understand, if you’ve already gotten the reward, why would you ever actually do the good deed, they’re such a hassle anyway. Well if Karma’s being good to you, you’ll want to stay on its good side. You do this by doing good by the world. Karma isn’t asking for you to adopt a child from an improvised nation and open a local soup kitchen, save that for Oprah. Just be pleasant to those around you. I know it’s corny as all get out but its true when they say that a little smiley goes a long way. All pessimistic and unhappy people have a congruent problem, they hate people. So why not go a little out of your way to be pleasant. Make this a part of your daily routine and how you interact with people, and in no time it will no longer be going out of your way. And it will make you happier. Karma will repay you, maybe not through things you can see or measure, but one day you will look back at the person you were, and you will see how your actions and Karma has shaped you to become a happier person. Don’t bash it until you try it.

Now Karma’s happy side is nice and all, but it must be known that Karma is a double edged sword. Just as much as it rewards those who have done well, it punishes those who do wrong. Now, I’m not trying to make Karma sound like a harsh caped-crusader beating up wrong-doers, so let me redefine “wrong” for my purposes. As far as Karma is concerned, the world works as a balance. Haha, maybe those crazy Taoists were on to something with that Ying Yang stuff. So anything that has any negative aspects, from laughing at a friend getting shot down to killing a hobo, builds up the negative. So Karma must come in and teach a lesson in a way. Every time you do something mean; you have to face the unlucky side effects of your actions. Maybe in this way you can learn to at least think about the risk/reward situation before doing something unsavory.

Karma’s at its best when it plays on irony. This is where you really start to think. Commonly, especially in moments of ridicule, Karma will almost immediately and normally comically hit you with the very thing that you were just making fun of someone else about. For instance, have you ever been making fun of someone for tripping and falling or hitting a wall and then immediately turn around and kicked a nearby chair? Fast-action Karma. But just often as Karma shows itself quickly, it delays its action.

All those who aren’t deep thinkers, go ahead and stop reading, I’d hate for you to get a little headache in that little head of yours. See its many of those with limited frontal lobe development that argue that they get away with things all the time without any consequence. What they don’t realize is that Karma is simply waiting for them. Many times, it is allowing you to reconcile the problem yourself. If this balance isn’t manually restored in enough time, that’s when Karma hits the hardest. That’s when Karma hits your character. Every action in one’s life influences the character that will shape their every action. As the person begins to believe that they can totally escape punishment for their dishonest actions, Karma begins to cheapen their character. As your character cheapens, so does everything else in your life. The inability to truly value anything in your life is the sole characteristic that will take everything and leave your very existence empty. Ever seen The Christmas Carol? Maybe you should sometime.

So in the last however long it has taken you to read this, I hope you have gotten to think about the idea of Karma. You may still believe what you want but every other belief system contains Karma just by a different name. And as good old Will Shakespeare said, “What’s in a name” anyway? So maybe you can figure out how to make Karma on your side. If it is, life can be great. Please allow me to leave you now with a few pieces on advice. Always be pleasant to others, it’s not that hard and it will bring nothing but good fortune. Always think before you act, risk vs. reward is always advised. And finally, be optimistic. Otherwise, you’re just wasting time.

Me :)