Chapter 4 Part 6, The Future. Is Karma a real thing?

The word Karma is often used in a spiritual sense, yet psychologically it means so much more than we realise. By going against our values we can be hindering our goals and efforts because subconsciously we don’t believe that we deserve what we are seeking. And so the rabbit hole begins.

Let’s start off with the simple stuff. Eastern beliefs are more spiritual in their structure and karma is not restricted to this life. Instead it follows us into the next life which explains why some people are born worse off than others. The whole idea is that we clear our karma by learning our lessons and experiencing life each time we are reborn. In the scriptures it is written that we are somewhat imperfect, and that we are going through all of these lives becoming purified until finally we are cleansed. In the end we no longer require being reborn. This is of course a simple overview.

The western beliefs, although still viewed spiritually, don’t look into previous lives. Instead they talk about causality, or otherwise known as cause and effect. This simple principle states that if you do something bad then bad things will happen to you to even out the universe. Doing good also has the same effect.

Now, there are some people in this world that appear to get away with murder whilst others will do one little thing wrong and appear to pay pennants for the rest of their lives. It seems unfair that some get by so easily whilst others get off scot free. And although I would like to tell you that the bad guys will get their comeuppance in the end, unfortunately, this is not what always happens. So is karma just a myth?

Although dumb luck can play a part in this life, mostly karmic damnation is caused by our high standards mixed with our morals and values. If our mind believes that we are not worthy of our existence, or that car, or that hot blonde or whatever, then our manifestation is interrupted. It is then that our perception of reality reflects what we believe we deserve.

What I am saying here is that some people get away with murder quite simply because they don’t believe that they have done anything wrong. Or even if they do believe that they have, they justify their actions. In their mind they have done their best having been dealt the cards they were given.

And now let’s look at the flip side. Let’s say you find money on the ground and rather than handing it in your keep it for yourself. Despite the fact that you may need this money you have crossed a personal value. Apart of you starts worrying if the person who lost it really needs it back and you are riddled with guilt. It is then that little things begin to happen to you. You stub your toe on the side of the bed, you bight your lip, you don’t pay attention when people are talking to you and generally you feel off. Now this must be karma right?

Well, in many ways it is. Your guilt has lowered your perception of your own self-worth. You are now focusing on negative things that occur during the day to justify your own perception of yourself. You have become your own judge, jury and executioner. Yet it’s not the universe causing your Karma, it’s you.

The equation in life can be broken down quite simply. We do things for pleasure and/or to avoid pain. Also, the reason why we have morals and values is to avoid possible pain. Therefore, the moment we cross a line by doing something that we deem to be wrong, we link pain to what was originally pure. This has now made our cause unjust. The mind now needs to justify our value/moral by believing or focusing on a negative response to the behavior. It is only once the penance has been received that the world appears to balance itself out and the person can continue on their way. Or at least, that’s what we tell ourselves.

In short, karma is in the eye of the beholder. Emotions linked to past memories impact life daily. Therefore if you believe that you have done something wrong, and therefore need to pay your dues, you probably will. This will either happen because you subconscious takes you there, or possibly, it might never happen, yet because you believe you need to pay for what you have done, you will take a random negative event and say ‘SEE! That was karma coming to get me!’

So what did we learn today? Firstly, we have to be aware of the power of the mind. Making things happen that we want in life will be difficult if we don’t believe we deserve better. And secondly, if we do something wrong we have to be careful with how hard we judge ourselves. Mistakes are learning experiences. They are not a reason to give ourselves the Spanish Inquisition. The more we judge ourselves and have self-hate the more the more we work against what we want in life. So give yourself a break, have a kit-Kat