The other day I heard someone say that Karma was going to catch up with someone. While I am in no position to correct anyone I have always believed that this perception of Karma is misguided. The term Karma is more often used in place of the term Fate which seems inaccurate. I don’t fully believe in Fate but let me see if I can instead describe what Karma means to me.

First let me begin by stating in my opinion what Karma is Not.
Karma is neither a reward nor punishment. Karma does not take credit nor take blame for anything that happens in our lives. There is no Good or Bad Karma. Karma is not a mystical being or force of nature that will strike you down if you are evil, nor will it grant you 3 wishes as if it were a genie in a bottle. I do not believe in Luck or anything having any sort of magical ability to dictate outcomes in life.

And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make – McCartney/Lennon

I love this philosophical lyric. But the word “equal” should not be taken literally. I would argue that Karma is not proportional. There is no fixed amount of good (or bad) that will be granted based on the equal amount of good that you perform. Karma is not measurable by any means. Karma is not specific but instead is an unending exchange between How we live and the eventual outcomes that can potentially result.

It could be argued that Karma is a consequence of our actions however, I’m not entirely sure that is completely accurate either. Otherwise Karma once again becomes a reward or punishment. Fate and Luck are simply how an occurrence is perceived by some.

Karma to me is how we act and the indirect results that are influenced by our actions, all intertwined. But that does not mean I should have an expectation of achieving favorable Karma just because I always acted good. I cannot expect there to be good in my life if I do not act in a manner that is good to myself and the world around me. Thus experiencing the good things in life cannot be achieved if I have not put forth a positive effort. In contrast I think that bad things can happen to good people and vice versa. What happens to any of us is not directly attributed to a specific good or bad act. This counters the belief that Karma is a result tied to an action.

My most basic definition of Karma is that it is not simply the action nor the result by themselves, but instead Karma is the sum of our ongoing actions that can potentially influence various outcomes in our lives. Karma is circular, never ending, and the Everlasting Gobstopper of the universe. Karma is the overall process that brings balance and keeps us from imploding, or provides the conditions to self destruct.

I certainly believe that the more effort I put forth toward making this a better world contributes toward that result, and opens up the possibilities to then enjoy everything that life has to offer. That is my Karma.