It's funny how Karma is our golden ticket to redemption. It's revenge wrapped in a chocolate-covered Hersey's kiss, sprinkled with religious connotations, linked to a zenith that connects itself to the cosmos and Great Beyond, somewhere between gigantic stars, exploding supernovas and swirling blackholes. Sometimes we confuse Karma as the early Christmas gift, sitting there in that large red box, wrapped with some colorful ribbon, awaiting our vicious tear in the morning. We've been waiting for this moment. After all the kicks, the pushes to the ground, the jumps back up, the sprinting in the quick sand, the terrible breakup, the D's in the classes, and the wake up calls from the parents about how college is YOUR FUTURE, it perhaps is finally here. You cannot wait to rip that box open and jump in the air, dance around and glisten in the rays of your hard work and your endurance through tough times. You helped that old lady across the road, was there for your friends, forgave your friends, and loved your enemies. The mess you didn't leave, was cleaned by you at the cafeteria. You threw your gas money in that hobo's hat. You held the door countless times. You cannot wait for Karma to pat you on your back and smile at you.
You can't wait.
Karma explodes out of the box. It's been sitting in there for awhile, accumulating and accumulating and growing, getting HUGE, large, giant, fat. Karma points have been building up. If this was some arcade, man, you got enough tickets with all that Karma to buy that shiny cheap plastic car on the top aisle. You ask the lanky teenager, earrings pierced between his large tattoo on his face, to grab that car. He hands it to you and takes all your Karma points float away. You have to start all again. It's okay, you can do it! You can do it. You want that flying helicopter, worth twice the car.
You start helping more old ladies out. You forgave more friends, loved more enemies, cleaned more messes, gave more money out and held doors at every opportunity.
Are we forgetting what karma is? Do we know what is? Are your charitable, knightly actions reaping the rewards you want? Are you holding in tight, against the storm, with your tiny umbrella and loosely-fit NorthFace jacket and pretending that this relationship was bad and future ones will be awesome, amazing, sweet, perfect…. if and only if you gain good Karma and expect that same force to negatively impact those that tore your heart into pieces?
SNAP OUT OF IT.
You're ruining the whole purpose of Karma. Karma follows your actions. Your actions don't follow Karma. We are losing meaning in karma. We are losing meaning in helping others.
If we are nice for some reward, do we risk losing honest generosity?
We all go through rough times. Roller coasters are happening all around us. Taking us up, making us feel grand, and then throwing us down, so hard, so forcefully that we can't get up. The wind is knocked out of you and a glance around confirms that no one is there to pick you up.… when everything looks like it's all about to crumble and explode, remember that Karma is constantly building. It's not going to stand there and lift you up, but it's going to be there when you gather every strength and push yourself up, carry on, and continue being the person you know you are.
The golden rule. Karma. Kindergarten rules. Don't you get it? It's all forces surrounding us since birth. Forces begging us to treat others with respect, kindness and love. Because it is through these actions that when you do open that giant red box, with that colorful ribbon, that Karma will leap out and raise you to heights..
you never imagine.