"Nothing comes from nothing, nothing ever could,
so somewhere in my youth or childhood,
I must have done something good."
What do you think?
Was she being loved now because of some unknown act of goodness in her past? If she had never done anything good, would that mean she would never be loved?
Does there exist a direct correlation between the good things that happen to you now and the good you've done in the past? Sounds like karma, doesn't it? Certainly you've heard the term "karma" being tossed about in the media, enough to have an idea of what it means.
"Simply said", says Raj, A Strong Believer in Karma, "one’s acts become his/her destiny. What you give is what you get in return. Do good, and nature definitely returns you the favor. Do something wrong/evil/unethical and it sure will come back to you some day in some form."
Though Karma officially relates to the belief in reincarnation, the belief that what you do in this life determines who you will be in the next, today it is widely accepted to mean "what goes around comes around". Even if you don't believe that "karma" actually exists as some unseen force or believe in reincarnation, you probably still hold to the principle of karma as true. Isn't this the way it should be? Aren't ethical standards built on this concept of cause and effect? Do something good and good will come back to you. That's just common sense, folks, as commonly sensible as is the opposite. Spend your life being nasty to others, and know that you are eventually going to get what's coming to you. The chickens always come home to roost.
Daniel Handler, more famously known as Lemony Snicket, teller of the Series of Unfortunate Events says, “I'm not a believer in predetermined fates, being rewarded for one's efforts. I'm not a believer in karma. The reason why I try to be a good person is because I think it's the right thing to do. If I commit fewer bad acts there will be fewer bad acts, maybe other people will join in committing fewer bad acts, and in time there will be fewer and fewer of them.” ― His is a rather pessimistic view, I think. Eliminate evil, one act of evil at a time; his goal: see if we can achieve fewer bad acts. Maybe he hoped if he filled his books with evil acts, it would reduce the number of occurrences in the real world.
Naturally then, good deeds you do today will lead to good rewards in the future. Naturally.
And who will make sure this happens?
Why, the universe and karma will make things right again. It's the law.
Good begets good, bad reaps bad.
It is only right and fair.
A sort of cosmic justice, if you will.
Most people focus on the positive side of doing good, with the hope of filling this world with enough acts of goodness to tip the balance of evil and right all injustice. Social justice works on the theory that doing good will make this world a better place. Since 2007, there is a Good Deeds Day because, according to the founders, if we do enough good deeds, they will ripple out like rings in a pond, as agents of change to all mankind, thus bringing peace and harmony to this world.
I just finished reading the book of Acts today, and was "curiosified" by the reaction of the people of Malta, when Paul was bit by a viper that jumped out of the fire. They said,
"Undoubtedly (undoubtedly?) this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live."
Justice? Who are they talking about? Do they mean some force in the universe that makes sure that evil is repaid with evil? Do we as humans tend to unquestionably believe in an unseen, natural, cosmic law of justice that sees what you do and either rewards or punishes you in like manner?
Do you believe in this cosmic justice?
By now you're probably wondering, seriously wondering, if I have lost my mind. Well I did just celebrate my jubilee of birthdays, which could realistically account for this, but joking aside, I am still on the topic of suffering.
You see, suffering is an inevitable part of our Christian lives. We've been called to suffer; it is a privilege we should expect. However, if you are like me (and I'm guessing you are), your mind, heart and soul rebel against the very idea of suffering.
Why is that? I have an idea.
When our brains perceive something we think is wrong, it fights against it, refuses to accept it, rejects it completely. To change our minds regarding suffering, we need to see why we think it is wrong. One of those reasons is this human concept of good, evil and justice in the world, which, like the Maltans, we have "undoubtedly" absorbed.
Should we believe that doing good will bring us good, and doing evil will bring us evil?
Should we expect this to be the definition of justice?
Does God have something to say about this in His Word?
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