I was talking to a new Australian friend about karma. Admittedly, the idea sounds a bit hokey: The actions and energy that we put out into the world return to us in like form. This concept conjures up a vision of a personified universe, keeping tabs on the virtuousness of our deeds like some cosmic omnipotent accountant.
But I don’t think it’s quite like that. I think it’s much simpler, and much more logical.
Case-in-point: John. John is a cut-throat employee that will step on any and all coworkers to get ahead. He is ruthless, and everyone know it. He will do anything to get what he wants. Some of the people that John has stepped on will likely move through the ranks of the organization, or take jobs at other companies. Eventually, John will likely encounter these people again – and some of these people will be in positions of power over him. They will remember John, and they will probably extend the same energy to John that he extended to them. That is karma.
Alternatively, when we lift up others, others will lift us up. If we keep the best interests of others at heart, then others will extend the same courtesy. It’s not magic. It’s logic.
There are many ways to get from point A to point B. I advocate for the route that brings the most love into this world. Because when it is love that you give, it is love that you’ll get. And at the end of the day, it’s love that matters most.
Kumbaya.
January 5, 2010 at 7:41 pm
Good post. Ultimately, it’s how we choose to live our lives. One moment at at time. I agree Davey. And I wrote about something similar on my blog. Go dude!
January 5, 2010 at 7:42 pm
So the moral of the story kids is to be nice even if you don’t have to because one day it when you need it someone else is more likely to be nice to you… all right then where is the pie.
January 5, 2010 at 7:42 pm
Hey Davey,
So the butterfly affect your talking about then, lol.
Kenneth R. Livingston
January 5, 2010 at 7:42 pm
You’re right….it *IS* logic…..but thank you for the reminder. I sometimes forget
January 5, 2010 at 8:12 pm
I often wonder what Karma was really abouut..but didnt equate it with “payback” but the way you put it…it does seem to fit.
Personally, I enjoy lifting other’s spirits as it doesnt hurt nor take alot of time to be nice to anyone…I’m generally nice to all I come in contact with…with a few exceptions
January 5, 2010 at 8:14 pm
f**k yah!! loved the last paragraph!
January 5, 2010 at 8:36 pm
I’m not sure I agree with all of that – putting out love doesn’t necessarily guarantee that’s what you’ll get back from others. It’s a great idea, but it’s just not my experience. Love is something you do/give for yourself, BECAUSE it doesn’t always come back – but if you put it out there, you’ve done your part, and that (in itself) can be quite satisfying, regardless of how or whether others respond.
January 5, 2010 at 8:46 pm
This is totally my philosophy, too… send love out, and love will come back. I think people often expect immediate results – as though by doing something good, something good should immediately happen. But just like with John, it takes time… peace and love, xo
January 5, 2010 at 9:55 pm
hey man, i was checking videos on youtube and and guess what i found u, i love ur videos .. my name is luis, i’m from venezuela, i’m 21 years old , if u want we can chat sometime on msn …. my msn is luis_ag2010@hotmail.com
January 6, 2010 at 12:46 am
Now you have a host in Venezuela Luis to stay at his place on your trip to Venezuela…
Also about the generating love thing…. I have got that I was generating “not good enough” and occured as a visious cycle of either perfection or am I ok… When I cleared or erased that background conversation and instead manually created “whole and complete” as the new conversation my whole universe shifted people seemed to have changed. I have to constantally create this. Not good enough is ready to bleed thru if a positive background isnt there instead. More scoop on motivation and Austrailia please!!!!
January 6, 2010 at 3:41 am
You sound like an Enneagram Type 1. Understanding this helped me a lot with the perfection thing. From the website http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/TypeOne.asp: “But by attempting to create their own brand of perfection, they often create their own personal hell. Instead of agreeing with the statement in Genesis that God saw what He had created, “and it was good,” Ones intensely feel that “It wasn’t—there obviously have been some mistakes here!” This orientation makes it difficult for them to trust their inner guidance—…”
January 6, 2010 at 3:42 am
http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/TypeOne.asp
January 6, 2010 at 12:57 am
Love is the most important thing. I agree totally.
I think the idea of karma very true and interesting. I also believe its complicated.
However I don’t know if I have the same outlook on it. I don’t think karma is limited to one lifetime. There are some people that can’t seem to win in life, and others that seem to get what they want. In reality these opinions and judgements we make on the actions of others are only opinions. With the nasty man you described earlier being cut throat, you only know your point of view and experience, and you do not know his story from his eyes. You don’t know his history, feelings, etc.
In reality it all balances out, like in equation balancing out in chemistry, going towards equilibrium. But I do believe that karma is balanced over the sum total of all our lifetimes. Someone who seems to have it together today might come back poor, homeless, or to crack addict parents. Who knows?
What makes me feel good is that I believe that I havebeen at the lowest point in evolution and the highest too in different lifetimes. I’ve experienced the most amazing joys and the worst pain.
This is what makes our experience holistic and human.
Thus!!! Love is the most important thing!
January 7, 2010 at 12:51 am
i definitely agree with you!
January 6, 2010 at 1:04 am
i hate to rain on the parade, but how on earth does this kind of reasoning explain a dick cheney figure who, if i understand his history correctly, has done far worse than your fictional John here, and yet has reaped nearly every reward it is possible in this life to reap? he’s politically powerful and fabulously wealthy and has been for decades. and then there are people who actually do kind and selfless acts every day of their lives but never live comfortably. sure, it’s easy to say that perhaps cheney’s soul is tortured and unhappy, but my poor samaritan is “at peace” in his pauper’s soul, and their “karma” is fulfilled that way, but that’s just too easy to toss out there and, i would bet, not true.
January 6, 2010 at 1:27 am
You musent be looking directly for the carma only indirectly and it will come every breakdown leads to a breakthru. You might be running with a background conversation “I’m too good” replace that with “The world owes me nothing it was here first” ~Tim
January 6, 2010 at 2:00 am
Karma is a soft and universal interpretation of a solid and basic rule in physics. Newton’s third law of motion:
Whenever a particle A exerts a force on another particle B, B simultaneously exerts a force on A with the same magnitude in the opposite direction. The strong form of the law further postulates that these two forces act along the same line. Newton’s third law is sometimes referred to as the action-reaction law.
This doesn’t mean that it has to balance perfectly. Life isn’t fair, life is just meant to be alive. If you punch someone there is a much greater chance of them punching back, if you hug someone there is a greater chance of them hugging back. Doesn’t mean that you cant hug someone who just punched you.
January 6, 2010 at 5:25 am
Dude, you and I are on the same plane of thought. I was rushing to the bottom to express my thoughts when I saw your post. Love it.
January 6, 2010 at 2:14 am
“when we lift up others, others will lift us up” … love that, so true!
I’ve appreciated to read this post david. I don’t know much about things like karma but I’m sure that what you wrote is true!
bye,
January 6, 2010 at 2:20 am
ps : David for you : “Tu me dis, j’oublie.
Tu m’enseignes, je me souviens.
Tu m’impliques, j’apprends.”
Benjamin Franklin
January 6, 2010 at 5:35 am
Along the same lines as Kral, I submit that if there’s intention behind the action then it’s not truly karma. It’s vengeance or – at the least – it’s turning of the tables. I too feel that karma is a force much like Newton’s law. Physics and philosophy have always gone hand in hand and I think there’s no clearer link between the two than here. The laws of the universe have no intention. If you exert pressure on something the pressure is exerted back onto you with equal and opposing force. Would you rather oppose someone with a hug or with a kick to the groin? LOL Every action you commit has consequences based solely on universal laws that have no intention, emotion, purpose, design or otherwise. When you throw a ball in the air, it comes down strictly because that’s the way the universe works. Not because it deserved to come down or because it’s not ‘good enough’ to stay up. Likewise, I believe that when karma rears it’s face in our lives it’s only because that’s the way it works. Nothing more.
January 6, 2010 at 7:14 am
When it comes to people, how can you be “logical”? I fully agree with what you’re saving, Davey … if you treat others with respect, then you should be respected back.
However, this isn’t always the case! Too many times, I have been polite and respectful of other people only for them to throw it back in my face…
From a rather snowy UK.
January 6, 2010 at 7:31 am
karma and all it’s conceptual i believe, does have it’s merits. One must, although, not be caught as the proverbial ‘deer in the headlights’ expecting quick returns. Stage 4 broncogenic carcinoma has made me bitter, however a bitterness well tempered, maintained, and not permitted much daylight. A moment best shared with myself in my own space. I only found this site a couple days ago but it is such a morale booster it is sic but i look forward to each days offerings. Thank you.
January 6, 2010 at 8:27 am
The way I look at it, when we approach life in such a way as to try to make things go smooth, treating others with kindness, our lives tend to go smoothly (even when we encounter troubled times/individuals), things somehow (with the grace of god/power of the universe) eventually work out okay.
However, when we approach life with disregard for others, focused more on ourselves rather than on our connection with the universe/god and others, inevitably life comes back and bites us in the ass.
That’s karma.
January 6, 2010 at 4:54 pm
Isn’t karma Buddhist for “I’m Rubber, you’re glue?”
January 6, 2010 at 4:56 pm
I thought Karma is Buddhist for “I’m rubber, you’re glue”
January 6, 2010 at 10:14 pm
I hope one day I cross your path and we walk together for a little while until then
January 7, 2010 at 12:58 am
I agree with FluffyBri that Karma is something to be looked at over a soul’s life which encompasses many 3rd dimensional lives. Which means that yes we often deal with things in our current lifetime as a result of actions in a past life. Many of us are “trapped” in negative karmic cycles where we keep facing the same issues over and over, lifetime to lifetime because we are just not conscious or aware enough of them to push through and break the cycle. Karma is not about punishment – it is about our evolution and growth. If for example we have chosen to learn about compassion in this life we might find that we many of those around us become ill or need taking care of. Many people take on a victim consciousness and ask “what have I done to deserve this” or “why am I being punished” but really karma keeps bringing the same things to us so that we can grow and learn from the experience. The only way for a karmic lesson to end if that is what we wish for is to learn it!
January 7, 2010 at 4:49 am
this so much happened to me in the days leading up to christmas holidays-my co-worker was down-i was down.closer to the holiday his spirits rose like the mountains-so did i-and others around him-thats Karma.Thanks for reminding me-DW.
January 7, 2010 at 9:20 am
For 26, you really think you have the world figured out, don’t you? You are the most arrogant, self-righteous little boy I’ve run across in life or the Web. When you get some more life experience, come preach your touchy-geeky platitutdes to those who subscribe to you, primarily I guess because you are a cute twink. Fitness? At 26 what do you really know about fitness to make YouTube videos? I’ve been bodybuilding for 20 years and I would have the arrogance to claim I am an expert. Get a check on life, bro.
January 8, 2010 at 7:10 pm
im soooo in to karma i believe everything about it . like if i think i have done some thing bad i try to even it out so im just over the gooood of karma but its defo a gd system!!!!! love u all xxx
January 9, 2010 at 7:54 am
your right davey..living is a choice! we just dn’t get much love by asking for it..we must do things the way others would find it loveable…to love and be loved are different…be it..i love you all.(i’ve shown, love me back) continue to posts, ill b here to read them! i need love..