I was in a village on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria last week, & I stumbled upon a child who was emaciated from malnourishment. To make matters worse, this 3 year old had HIV, malaria, & disseminated tuberculosis. His death was imminent because he acquired a diarrheal illness from contaminated drinking water. He couldn't afford healthcare because he was one of the > 1 billion people on this earth living on < $1 a day. I realized the 3 year old must be a terrible person, & I asked him what terrible things he did to deserve this fate, since, after all, “karma's a bitch”.
None of that actually happened. Do circumstances like this run rampant in Sub-Saharan Africa & other developing parts of the world? Absolutely. That tall tale I just told should illustrate the absurdity with which we cling to the idea that the universe is at work to make life fair & ensure everyone gets what they deserve in the end, whether good or bad.
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| https://www.karmaandluck.com/ |
Whether you're on the cover of Forbes Magazine posing as CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation or sleeping on a park bench & panhandling, we all experience pain & suffering. It is part of the human condition & an inevitable part of our existence. Whether you live a pure life filled with good deeds or a life spent making others miserable, your encounter with the pain of existence is inevitable. Pain & suffering are not evenly distributed, & the source of it varies drastically from one human being to another.
My biggest problem with religious concepts like karma or the threat of damnation to hell eternally is that we should see the intrinsic value of being a positive presence in the world regardless of whether or not we will be rewarded or punished for how we choose to behave. Fear should not fuel your desire to be a decent human being. Somewhat analogous is our motivation to apologize. If I tell you I'm sorry because I have a conscience, experience guilt, & regret whatever I did to you, this apology has value & meaning. If I apologize because I'm scared of what will happen to me if I don't apologize, that apology is empty & frivolous.
If I had a dime for every time I heard the cliché, "karma's a bitch", I could probably hit the town & enjoy some fine dining. The truth is that the concept is ridiculous, & the cliché is overused. It's like nails on a chalkboard every time I hear it. Not yet mentioned is the delusional mindset that the universe has the goal of settling the score with anyone who wrongs you. It's almost narcissistic to think the universe cares so much about us that our enemies are doomed to suffer.
Karma & eternal damnation should not be what keeps you in line & motivates you to live a life marked by virtues like generosity, compassion, honesty, & integrity. Choose such a path because of the notion that we all experience pain & suffering, & this provokes empathy toward fellow man & the desire to minimize the bad in our own lives & others. That fictional 3 year old child I introduced needs us to have this insight & consideration for others, just as the very real people on earth, in similar circumstances, need us to offer an authentic, selfless helping hand to survive & eventually thrive.
Our existence as humans on this earth will improve when we stop expecting the universe to make life fair & take ownership of our ability to make life better for our fellow man & ourselves. The universe is as aloof & idle
as it has always been in determining our fate. "Karma's a bitch"? I challenge you to abandon this cliché, not just because hearing it annoys me to no end. Abandoning the notion will empower us to take positive action.
NOTE: I am referring to the term “karma” from the
SECULAR use of the term only.
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| Photo: economictimes.indiatimes.com |