Karma is it real?

Karma is it Real?

My friend’s Facebook profile read “Karma has no deadline.” She had just gone through a nasty breakup and I knew that it was aimed directly at her ex-boyfriend. Her Facebook profile got me thinking about my own belief systems concerning Karma, and I wondered what it was that I believed regarding this subject.

Karma is the belief system that there is a force created as a consequence of our actions. This belief system insists that what sow we reap. So, when we sow good deeds then good things come back to us, similarly when we sow bad deeds then bad things come back to us.  This thought process is part of many eastern cultures and has now permeated the western world as well. Take for example Justin Timberlake’s song “What goes around comes back around.” Talking about a relationship in which the girl has cheated to be with someone else, the lyrics go something like this:

Let me paint this picture for you, baby

You spend your nights alone, and he never comes home
And every time you call him, all you get’s a busy tone
I heard you found out, That he’s doing to you
What you did to me, Ain’t that the way it goes!

…. What goes around comes back around (I thought I told you babe)

Written from a place of self-professed lack of sympathy, and hurt about the actions of the ex-girlfriend, this song encases, in a nutshell, the true essence of karma – what you do comes back to you.

A secondary aspect of Karma is the concept of reincarnation. Reincarnation is the general belief that your actions from your present life can affect the quality of your life to come. Or that the quality of your present life is because of the actions of your previous life.

So, ideologies surrounding Karma revolve around action and consequence, in a cyclic fashion, whether immediately or later is up to the natural course of things and is not determined by anyone.

What about life, if Karma is real?

Let’s hypothetically now imagine a world where Karma is a complete reality. If I lived a life that was based on action and consequence then every time, I did something even remotely bad I would have to be punished, either in this life or the next (mostly in the next). In fact, even if I think something wrong, it can affect my karmic energy. Since nature governs Karma and not a creator no one can stop it or put an end to the “bad karma” that would follow my actions. Every bad word I spoke, every hurtful deed, even a rude joke would have its consequence, and this cannot be stopped.

In a world where karma is real, I would have to lead an existence where I constantly need to watch my back. My every move is accounted for not because it makes me a better person but because if I don’t do right, I stand the chance to acquire bad karma. So, while it feels good to believe in karma as something that can bring justice to someone else when it is applied to one’s own self it can be quite a distressing worldview.

Does Karma have an alternative?

Even in a Christian worldview, Karma can make sense. Because the Bible says “you reap what you sow.” But the Bible also says “people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” If this is true, then it strikes at the very heart of Karmic reincarnation. This means that while our actions have consequences, these consequences are a part of this present life and not the one to come. Our actions and their consequences will be accounted for in this life and if it is accounted for in the life to come then it is accounted to a Creator who is above Karmic law. So, while Karma can give a sense of ‘retributive justice,’ that someone will pay for their sins someday, it can also be unjust in the sense that we may have no recollection of what we are paying for. According to Karma, our errored actions may come back to haunt us anytime, and the time we have no control over. But when we believe that there is a higher power (i.e. a Creator) who is above Karmic law, the prognosis for life is entirely different. We have the ability to set things right and control the so-called natural scheme of things. 

What can I do about Karma?

A professor of mine named Kinta Schripsema used to often say this line ‘Put Grace in the Space’ what she meant by that was that when we address people with grace, compassion, forgiveness, and love our view of life relationships is often different. While with Karma we do good to receive good in return, putting grace first means we do so with no selfish motive. The Bible says “And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you … But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.” For when we put grace in the space, we transcend karmic law. We repay injustice with justice, wrongdoing with forgiveness, and even undeserving relationships with love and compassion.

If you would like to discuss more about Karma and other life ideologies, reach us by clicking the button below