ON KARMA
A short note before you read on. This is by no means a lesson on Karma. I’ll save that for the experts. These are MY thoughts on Karma, and how disheartened I AM at hearing it used in the negative on a daily basis, and seldom about the actions of the person who uses the word. I most often hear it used in reference to someone else after the person using it has been hurt, insulted or pissed off.
It’s amazing how many times a day I hear someone refer to Karma, and I love that people are thinking about cause and effect. It’s used rather loosely here in North America, but when I hear people use it, I feel it at least shows awareness of actions. What is mind boggling to me, is how often people use it in the negative!
“Yep. Karma’s a bitch.” Hmmm….I don’t believe that’s how it was intended to be used!!!
I’ve noticed that the thought of Karma is used more in regards to ANOTHER person’s negative or unwanted behaviours than it is to our OWN behaviours, both positive and negative. I used to just smile and shrug it off but it is suddenly driving me BONKERS! I am not saying I have never used it in the negative, I most definitely have. I make an effort to catch myself and stop, because I believe that by thinking “they did this bad thing to me, so something bad will happen to them” I am wishing ill on another human. When I realized this it scared the shit out of me! If I wish ill on someone else, I am no better than they (or their actions) are. Instead of choosing to think about how Karma is going to ‘bite them in the ass’, I think about what energy, or intention I choose to put into the situation. I can take huge offence to someone’s treatment of me (and deal with it if it’s needed) without projecting my thoughts on how horrible THEIR life is going to be because of Karma! I control MY thoughts and actions, and the direction MY life will take because of them. I believe the Karmic result of the situation is directed at my behaviour and mine alone. Their Karma is quite honestly none of my business. Patterns repeat themselves in our lives, and we will keep finding ourselves in the same situations until we learn from and change our responses. CAUSE AND EFFECT…the essence of Karma. The same rule applies to all of us, be it good or bad behaviour. Think about it for a minute. How many times have you found yourself thinking this way in a situation? What feelings were you having? How similar are the situations? How did you respond? Have you attempted to change your thoughts or actions to see if you will get a different result? If so, what did you learn from responding differently? What was the lesson??? Now consider for one second the person who you feel has done you wrong. Those same questions can be asked of them. We each have our OWN lesson to learn. The only control YOU have is over YOUR actions. They control theirs. This is YOUR life, make Karma work for YOU and let them worry about making it work for them!
Our society views Karma as people getting what they deserve and think of it as ‘fate’ (something beyond our control). My belief is that the future is not set in stone. Karma is ‘action’ and this includes our thoughts. It is constantly being created and modified. It’s no secret that I feel strongly that our thoughts change the direction of our lives, and this includes the concept of Karma. We have all done things that haven’t been very loving or kind. Most of us, at some point, realized we were hurtful or rude then had remorse and took corrective actions. We realized our error and change our thoughts or behaviour. Our ‘Karma’, the energy behind our thoughts and actions, is suddenly shifted.
Here’s a thought. Instead of addressing: a rude customer, a boss that doesn’t care about their employees well-being, a person who cuts us off on the highway, or someone who did us wrong, with the comment “Karma’s a bitch, they will get what is coming to them”, why don’t we put our judgments aside (it’s none of our business anyway) and focus on our OWN Karma and respond accordingly.
Everything we do creates a corresponding energy. That energy comes back to us in some way or another. Choose to worry about the energy YOU are creating.
As I said in the beginning, this blog was not intended as a lesson on Karma, it is just my thoughts. My hope is that, if any of you, like me, find yourselves in what I like to call a ‘negative Karmic projection’ on another human, you can remember that it’s your Karma you ought to focus on and look for the lesson.
I feel better now that THAT is off my chest 🙂 CHEERS! Until next time ~Jacquie~
the willow room 