Is karma fact or myth? A noun, Merriam Webster defines it as “the force generated by a person’s actions held in Hinduism and Buddhism to perpetuate transmigration and in its ethical consequences to determine the nature of the person’s next existence.” Broadly, it’s such a force considered as affecting the events of one’s life. Anthony Walton calls the idea of karma, “that what goes around comes around.”
The term karma in Sanskrit refers to “both the executed deed, work, action, act and the object, intent.” (Wikipedia)
A businessman and a reader, Manny G., sent me an article about what he and his friends had talked about karma. To fully understand his thoughts of karma, permit me to reprint his article here.
“In a recent conversation, my friends and I talked about karma. We need to avoid hurting others unfairly, and we need to do the right and honorable thing even if we are not personally benefited.
I have heard of a man with the seeming power to direct Karma at others—those who treat him unjustly. Let’s call him Mr. Y.
Long ago in the 1990s, a multinational company fired Mr. Y unjustly to save on paying him a well-earned bonus, at least in his opinion. Well, it took a while, but 15 years later, that company was bankrupt.
An employee of Mr. Y was accused of theft by a foreign dignitary. A high official who was very close to the then President tried to punish Mr. Y by shutting down his entire company. The bullying scheme did not succeed. A few years later, in his early 50s, with no prior warning the official died of a heart attack.
A high official instituted a money-wasting program designed to generate bribes for government officials and gave them sweeping powers that had never been intended. Mr. Y publicly opposed this plan, but the official insisted. The official died of a heart attack in his mid-60s.
A town mayor tried to throw his weight around and demanded money from Mr. Y as compensation for an alleged offense. Mr. Y refused. Less than a year later, the mayor was shot dead by hired assassins in his own town in Luzon.
The list goes on. A dishonest employee of Mr. Y took kickbacks but soon died of mysterious causes in his 40s. The supplier who had paid the kickbacks was shot dead in his own office building by an unknown assailant.
A government agency conducted an investigation into a matter connected with Mr. Y. The agency should have cleared him, but squashed its own report, afraid to displease certain powerful persons who were angry at Mr. Y; the agency’s head died of Covid-19 a year later.
In connection with the same matter, a public personality ridiculed Mr. Y publicly without bothering to check his facts. One year later, still fairly young, the personality died of ‘natural causes.’
A man threatened to file a nuisance lawsuit in relation to properties owned by Mr. Y; a month later he was shot dead by unknown assailants.
Mr. Y affirms he had nothing to do with any of these sad events. Anyway, how could anyone have the power to bankrupt a multinational company from afar, or remotely cause someone to have a heart attack? So, there must be some other forces at work here. Maybe, it’s Karma? Did you notice? The lag-times between Offense and Karmic Retribution have gotten shorter. Better watch yourself around Mr. Y. People who try to bully him have a tendency to wind up dead.”