Distant Karma

There may be no other largely misunderstood concept than karma, save maybe love. But that is a topic for another day.

Karma has been used to explain away the misfortunes of the uncaring, egotistical villain while suggesting it is a form of reward for the selfless acts of a caring, sincere person.

Yet, what if a selfish, uncaring person does a good deed for selfish purposes? What if someone donates a large sum of money to make themselves feel better, even if they do not announce it to others? Yet, they do not make any real changes to their behavior that may seem less than good natured. We all know more than a few people who donate to churches, charities and other causes only to look down upon the same people they are donating monies to. Buddhism says motives do matter, for the record.

In Hindu-speak, karma is visited o others in future lives. It deals with reward or punishment being meted out in the next life. In actuality, there are many different forms of karma and, just like any other religion or religious tenet you can find a different meaning in different faiths. For instance, in the Western interpretation commonly held by Americans, our actions are rewarded or punished swiftly (at least much more swiftly than in Hinduism). But, getting back to the karma point, if you have a lackluster job, a lazy, ignorant boyfriend or hair that you just can’t do anything with then maybe you weren’t so kind in your previous life.

Karma is really just an easy answer like “stuff happens” or “everything happens for a reason”. It’s an easy one word bumper sticker. It’s lazy intellectualism. I am sorry. That isn’t fair. There’s really nothing intellectual about it at all.

If one were to truly believe in karma then we are to believe someone who enjoys a life of pleasure and leisure is being rewarded for good acts or a good life they previously lived. The true philosophy of karma is that we are rewarded, or “punished” if you like, in our reincarnation not in our present lives.

So, let’s say you are a millionaire tycoon with a wonderful spouse, you have a job you love and you always get the window seat when you fly then you were probably a peach of a person in a previous life. You are being rewarded for some previous life you lived. Maybe you were a community activist or the person who invented fabric softener. Pity, many of the people being rewarded in this life will not be so fortunate in their next life. Consider yourself warned, Lindsay.

Of course according to this philosophy, if you hate your job, hate your spouse/significant other (at least some of the time, c‘mon be honest here), wish you had a few more bucks hidden under your mattress or have a less than glamorous life and you always seem to get stuck being seated between two hairy malodorous people when you fly, like 90% of the people I know, you were probably a jerk in your previous life. Based on my life, I suspect I was either an IRS agent or the Grassy Knoll shooter in a previous life.

Now, that seems hardly fair (as Americans we always vie for fairness). Anyways, we should be rewarded or punished for our present behaviors most would suggest. Enter “instant karma.”

Instant karma is a great John Lennon song but it has little relevance in the true description of karma Of course, as Americans we have to bastardize, twist and re-interpret philosophy, belief systems and, well pretty much anything, into our shallow, empty mindsets.

Not that it matters, but based on this belief that we have that we should do good to get good or have “good energy” come our way is just a little self-obsessed. We donate money not to do good, or at least not primarily for this reason, but, rather for “good karma.” Oh, how white of you. That’s very considerate. I’ll just try to need help when you’re having bad day.

Even if the Westernized version of “instant karma” is true, the examples of it being evident in our lives is paltry at best. Heroes answer cries for help and never return. Missionaries go to help in far off lands and risk their safety. To quote Billy Joel, “Only the good die young”. The bad ones seem to live forever in comfort and happiness.

Consider your everyday life. Anecdotally, we can all think of fine, upstanding, even heroic people who meet untimely and unkind fates. Some of the kindest people I have ever met have not had pleasant, pain free lives. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Most of the unkind, selfish, uncaring people I know lead the most successful, seemingly satisfied lives. Bearing in mind, none of our lives are perfect and we all fall on hard times at some points in our lives, it does not mean I and of itself that we’re all victims of karma.

Presumably, the true philosophy of karma might suggest the kind person who is besieged by tragedy and misfortune was really a bad person in a previous life. The are merely receiving their “karma”

In reality, if one were to truly follow the philosophy of karma then he or she should indulge. Why bother doing the right thing? It’s like when you’re a kid and you are out past your curfew by 10 minutes. You might as well stay out all night and deal wit the consequences later. Do as you wish with little to no regard for those around you . Live a little so long as you don’t mind paying later, much later.

We often cherry pick from theories, concepts and beliefs. So, this is really nothing new or different for us. We suit ourselves with half truths and misconceptions and we’re none the wiser, quite literally. We make things easy to understand so we can digest what happens around us.

Rather than stating the obvious that everyone has good days and bad days and these good days often times coincidence with a good deed that we may have done. Some days you’re the bug and sometimes you’re the windshield. Let us not forget that no good deed goes unpunished, the path to hell is paved with good intentions and all of the rest of the trite phrases that are also common in the karma vernacular.

It’s really nothing short of a lazy, simple way of assigning “bad luck” or misfortune to others, as though such things exist. If someone cuts you off in traffic, then they get into an accident or some other sort of accident befalls them, then it surely must have been “karma.” and not the fact they lack adequate driving skills.

We all have good days, bad days and middle of the road days and moments. Very good, selfless people lead painful, arduous lives. That is the point. Being good and doing the right thing is hardly always easy even if we try to make it seem easy.