#Karma: Nothing More Than An Excuse Not To Forgive

The dictionary defines karma as:

• : the force created by a person’s actions that is believed in Hinduism and Buddhism to determine what that person’s next life will be like

• : the force created by a person’s actions that some people believe causes good or bad things to happen to that person

It seems to me like every five minutes, someone is mentioning “karma” in some way. As the dictionary states, along with people actually knowledgeable of history, it has Hinduism and Buddhism roots. In short, it was a belief back then and it’s a belief now.

However, let me tell you why I think it’s silly when people don’t get their way and they’re quick to say, “KARMA!”

For one thing, I’m pretty certain that those who are quick to wish for “karma” to get revenge on someone doesn’t study and has never studied Hinduism or Buddhism in the least. On top of that, many say it simply because someone else has. The classic case of following a “trend.”

Two, most only wish for “karma” to get revenge when they get their feelings hurt in some way. When someone does them harm, that’s what they’re quick to resort to.

Now don’t get me wrong; I understand when people are bothered by others doing them wrong.

But this “karma” that people wish for is…what, exactly? A “force” of some kind. How does it work? Someone does something you don’t like and “karma” is put into motion? Is that how it works? So “karma” works individually for people as they see fit? So why do you need to “wish” for it to happen and then “wait” for it?

One of the biggest problems I see with people who believe in “karma” is that they take something that is a clear and direct effect of something and they call that “karma.” In other words, let’s say there is a person who sleeps around. Eventually, they catch a disease. Many folks would say that is “karma,” but no…it’s not. ANYONE who sleeps around has the risk of catching something. Hell, there are people out there who have slept with someone ONCE and it’s happened. And no…they weren’t cheating on someone at the time, nor had they done someone wrong.

If I repeatedly bang my head against the wall, it’s not “karma” because my head starts bleeding. That’s a direct result of my dumb ass not getting the hint to stop banging my head against the damn wall.

If a person cuts you off in traffic or speeds past you, it’s not “karma” that they get pulled over by the cops later on. Last I checked, it’s against the law to speed. I’m pretty sure that can and has happened to anyone.

A woman even once told me that she slept with married men when she was younger. After getting married, she was cheated on. She believed that “karma” was the reason it happened. It’s not. There are a bunch of reasons that her husband could have cheated and it may have nothing to do with what she did. How many women out there have been cheated on when the woman hasn’t done any cheating herself? It has nothing to do with “karma.”

I could give many more examples, but the bottom line is just as the title states: “Karma” is nothing more than an excuse for people not to forgive.

The same with moving on. In this day and age, it seems everyone is up in arms about people being “sensitive” and “offended” by this and that. Yet, I’ve noticed that many of the same ones crying about that are also the ones who are quick to also resort to hoping for “karma” to get revenge on someone. In other words, these people who supposedly get offended easily are so temporarily. You, on the other hand, or so much more offended that you’re hoping for something to get someone back at some unknown point in the future.

Now, tell me who’s more “offended.”

The biggest reason I have an issue with people who believe in “karma” is the forgiveness deal. Now, we ALL have done things in which we’ve wanted to be forgiven, correct? Many times, I’d like to believe we were truly remorseful for it.

But what if that person who we hurt in whatever way “wished” for “karma” on us and it actually worked? Then what? No one thinks about that. What if “karma” was real and every single time someone did something that hurt someone else, “karma” struck them? Stuff would be hurting people left and right.

Oh, right…when you’re sorry, people are supposed to just forgive you and that’s it. It’s supposed to be instant. Yet, someone does you wrong. Are they not allowed to be sorry? Can they not show remorse?

Another question. Have you ever done someone wrong in some way, not apologized right away, but realized that you were wrong and apologized later on? You don’t see anything wrong with that, right? Life is supposed to be all good, because you said you’re sorry? Fair enough.

So again, what about others? Are they not allowed to be sorry later on? Can they not grow and mature later on, realize the error of their ways and be remorseful?

Very few people fully think about this. That’s the problem. We want forgiveness, but we aren’t as willing to forgive. We’re expecting from others what we’re not willing to give ourselves. If the person doesn’t apologize instantly, we set what we hope is the “karma” train in motion. Yet, we do wrong and either we’re not man or woman enough to admit it, or we expect people to wait around for us to mature and apologize later, because after all, we’re “not perfect.”

I think often about the times I’ve hurt other people. I never feel good about that. I’m not going to say it’s warranted an apology every time, but I don’t get pleasure out of it. At the same time, many people have hurt me over the years.

I never wish for “karma” or any kind of revenge to get someone back. I’m 36 years old. Life is too short for that nonsense. I believe that EVERYONE deserves the chance to be remorseful, even if it doesn’t happen right away. My goodness…I’ve done crazy and stupid things as a teenager. Do I or anyone else deserve to be punished for it 20-something years later? Even if a person who has done me wrong never apologizes to me, you have the right to feel you don’t owe me an apology. Me hoping for “karma” to get revenge is just a childish tantrum. Who is the “authority” on whether an apology is warranted in a certain situation? You could present any situation to ten different people, ask if an apology is warranted and I’m positive that not all ten people would say the same thing. So who determines what “karma” is to do in that case?

People really need to know when a situation is the direct result of an action or a series of actions and stop calling it “karma.” Many people out there use circumstances that are the equivalent to a person saying “I don’t need an umbrella” when it’s raining, goes outside, gets wet, and people laughing and saying it’s “karma” that they got wet. That’s ridiculous. It would only be “karma” if everyone else who walked outside without an umbrella did not get wet. Everyone else would have as well. So that person who didn’t feel they needed an umbrella isn’t catching anything any more than those who simply didn’t take the umbrella with them.

We see bad things happen to good people all the time. We also see good things happen for who we feel are bad people. None of us have the power to determine or influence in ANY way, what happens from one case to the next. While you may get giddy when something does happen the way you want, don’t be silly and feel that you wishing for “karma” had anything to do with it. I can guarantee that again, whatever happened was a direct result of an action and could happen to anyone.

Even if you can’t shake believing in “karma,” then just be an adult and put yourself in the position of the other person. Do you know for certain that they aren’t sorry for what they’ve done? Do you have the “karma hotline” number to be able to just call up for whatever reason you’d like and it goes into motion right away? What if everyone else had that “power” as well? What if others were legitimately able to wish for “karma” to get you back?

After all, if you believe so strongly in “karma,” then surely there’s no reason you would believe it wouldn’t work for someone else, correct? Otherwise, why would YOU believe in it? For your own selfish reasons?

NO…SAY IT ISN’T SO.

As always, it’s entirely up to you as far as what you choose to believe and not believe. But understand that when you plant the seed in your heart to wish for “karma” to get someone, the bottom line is that you are also planting that seed to not forgive. You don’t have to forget. Most of the time, the people you wish this on aren’t around later on for you to even “see” whether or not the “karma” you hope for happens. So you’re planting that seed to keep yourself in a negative state. You’re only hurting yourself by doing that. That other person likely couldn’t care less and the truth is, no amount of wishing, praying, or whatever else you decide to do is going to get revenge on that person.

A lot of you who are the same ones to berate others for being too “sensitive” or being angry that they are “offended by everything” are again, as I’ve noticed, many of the same ones to resort to wanting “karma” to get revenge on them sometime. Maybe you should take your own advice. Realize that we are all done wrong at some time by others. Sometimes people will be remorseful and other times, they won’t be. That’s life. The same way you want those people who get “offended by everything” to shut up and to just “deal with it” is something that’s probably a good idea for you to do as well.

In other words, if you want other people to shut up and deal with what they’re temporarily sensitive about, maybe you should do the same.

Lack of being able to forgive only hurts you as the person who can’t forgive or wishes for karma. That’s like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.