Karma

A good friend recently asked me, about Karma. It seems whenever tragedy strikes, people who are not at all involved like to place their opinions, beliefs and observations on the situation. I have found this to be all so true in our own situation. From the complete strangers on the 9news.com web blog to well meaning acquaintances everyone has an opinion. I have an opinion and I’ve decided to share.

First of all, I do not intend to force my opinion on anyone who chooses to read it. Secondly, even though I have what I believe to be a well thought out position, I am not so close minded that I can not hear or evaluate others opinions on the subject as well. I think this is a very important factor to being an intelligent person. The bottom line is NO ONE REALLY KNOWS!!

With questions of religion and personal belief, it is always nice to have an open mind. The only way you will ever know that you are right and say, the rest of the world is in fact going to hell, is after you have already died. So, lets just say for the sake of my own soul, that this is my belief and not a judgment on anyone else.

I believe in GOD, and I believe in Karma. What I don’t believe is the interpretation of Karma that includes EVERY reaction is caused by an action. Karma is simply the law of cause and effect. Karma is not and cannot possibly be the chief cause of all occurrences. Even Buddha himself doesn’t believe that, he believes and teaches that there are five natural laws. Karma is only one of them.

This popular thought of late that every time something bad happens to you, you must have attracted it to yourself is ridiculous. I believe in energy. If I have a good, happy energy I am going to attract good happy people to me, and thus create a better surrounding for myself. If I am nasty, hateful or evil, I will also attract those kinds of people. This is not to say that in my happy, positive energy I will not attract a nut or two!

I think I am a good person. I try not to hurt other people deliberately. I take care of my family and I do my best to forgive and live peacefully. I am not a Saint. I yell at my kids, I have been known to fight with my mother, I am not always the woman my husband hoped to marry. But I try! And when I screw up, I apologize and I try to do better next time. I just cannot think that these human errors are going to bring me misery.

I have heard the opinion that Steve being killed that night by a drunk driver was a result of bad Karma. The part I don’t really understand is whose Karma, Steve’s or Lisa’s or the boys, or his mom’s, or the boy scouts, or soccer kids, or mine, or Wades, or the rest of my family’s, or the rest of Steve’s family, or perhaps his friends, because all of these people were affected by his death. We all suffered from it, so is all of our Karma somehow the cause of our suffering?

You can say, it was Steve’s Karma, he died as a result, but that doesn’t make any sense to me either. He died on impact. He didn’t suffer at all. He was actually, in my belief, taken to Heaven where he is eating at a giant buffet with Elvis Presley and Grandpa Stoney, waiting for us to join him. Besides the fact that he was one of the best people I have ever known in my life. He would give the shirt off his back to help another. So no, I don’t buy it.

I like the more simple idea of Karma; I say it to my kids. Treat others, as you would like to be treated. Funny, I think that’s actually the Golden Rule. I know as part of my idea of Karma if I am mean or hateful to anyone, the energy is going to be reflected back at me. It’s as easy to see as a mother who yells at her child and then sees that child turn and yell at their sibling. That is cause and effect. It can be summed up by just saying hurt no one, and work to be grateful for your blessings.

For the people who believe Steve’s death was a reaction of some bad Karma I must say that hurts my family and me, and therefore creates Karma of your own.