I shared this in an email with a pastor friend of mine years ago before I had this blog. With everything which has happened with us lately, I was reminded of it and wanted to post it here.
Just as there are weather patterns produced by air currents, temperatures, moisture, etc. So also there are a kind of "weather patterns" of Karma. Now, the word "Karma" comes from Sanskrit (karman), and literally means "work" or "action". It is the 1:1 equivalent of the ancient Greek word ergon. It also has the connotation of the consequences which result from the action which is taken. You walk out in the rain without an umbrella, you get wet. You have sexual intercourse, there's likely to be a pregnancy. You help someone with the groceries, they're likely to be thankful. Here I take Karma to mean, not only the actions one takes, but also implying the consequences which result from those actions taken.
On Earth, there exists several different kinds of weather patterns depending on where you live in the world. In some parts of the world it happens to be sunny skies and temperate conditions most of the year, such as Southern California. In other parts of the world it happens to rain most of the year and can be wet and miserable, as in such places as Papua New Guinea or the Amazon. In some places, the weather is always hot and dry, such as Yuma, Arizona, or such as in Egypt or the African Sahara. All of these things depend on the currents of air pressure, moisture, ocean temperatures, and how they gather and move across the surface of the Earth so that weather in such a far away place as Australia may have a direct impact on farmers in Canada whether that seems possible or not. In some places, the weather patterns become so violent that hurricanes and tornadoes form, ripping through anything which stands in their way.
Every action taken by a human being has real effects and consequences, not just for that human being, but also for every other human being who may or may not come into contact, direct or indirect, with the one who acted. When you have X number of actions taken by Y number of people not only alive today, but also throughout history, what you get is a kind of Karmic weather system of chain reactions and "currents" which impact different people in different ways. Around some people these currents coalesce into a stable, pleasant environment where everything seems to just go right for that person. Around others, it creates storm systems and even hurricanes in which the person must hold on for dear life. For some, they receive an even mix of fair and foul weather. For others, it's heavily weighted in one direction or the other. Now the first thing which must be noted is that these currents may be affected by the person's own actions, and most certainly will be, but they are not necessarily caused by that person's own actions.
I think the way I think, and live the way I live largely because of all the different influences and interactions in my life, positive or negative, from my parents, grandparents, teachers, world events, textbooks, friends, enemies, wife, children, and a host of other people with whom I have had direct and indirect contact over the course of my life, and of course God Himself. I speak English because of the actions of English immigrants and settlers almost four hundred years ago in settling along the northeast coastline of North America. I am mostly culturally Californian because of the actions of my grandparents in moving and settling here in Southern California long before I existed. Who I am is largely made up of the consequences of the actions taken and choices made by other people, including even my physical body which is the direct result of the choices my parents made as to who their sexual partner was to be. This holds true for my grandparents, great-grandparents, and every ancestor I am aware of or am not aware of. And not only this, but this holds true for, not only myself, but for every human being who has ever existed, does exist, or will exist. The only one for whom it does not hold true is God Himself who is entirely "other". The consequences even of the actions of kings or beggars thousands of years ago still continue to swirl around us and impact who we are today whether we know their names or not.
We have the option to react one way or the other to these Karmic weather patterns. The choices we make will send new currents and chain reactions out to other people as well as ourselves. This is why it is so important to choose compassion and not selfishness. To choose either to help or be still and not to harm. To give, and not take. It is not only us who reap what we sow, but everyone else has to harvest it too.
Just as there are weather patterns produced by air currents, temperatures, moisture, etc. So also there are a kind of "weather patterns" of Karma. Now, the word "Karma" comes from Sanskrit (karman), and literally means "work" or "action". It is the 1:1 equivalent of the ancient Greek word ergon. It also has the connotation of the consequences which result from the action which is taken. You walk out in the rain without an umbrella, you get wet. You have sexual intercourse, there's likely to be a pregnancy. You help someone with the groceries, they're likely to be thankful. Here I take Karma to mean, not only the actions one takes, but also implying the consequences which result from those actions taken.
On Earth, there exists several different kinds of weather patterns depending on where you live in the world. In some parts of the world it happens to be sunny skies and temperate conditions most of the year, such as Southern California. In other parts of the world it happens to rain most of the year and can be wet and miserable, as in such places as Papua New Guinea or the Amazon. In some places, the weather is always hot and dry, such as Yuma, Arizona, or such as in Egypt or the African Sahara. All of these things depend on the currents of air pressure, moisture, ocean temperatures, and how they gather and move across the surface of the Earth so that weather in such a far away place as Australia may have a direct impact on farmers in Canada whether that seems possible or not. In some places, the weather patterns become so violent that hurricanes and tornadoes form, ripping through anything which stands in their way.
Every action taken by a human being has real effects and consequences, not just for that human being, but also for every other human being who may or may not come into contact, direct or indirect, with the one who acted. When you have X number of actions taken by Y number of people not only alive today, but also throughout history, what you get is a kind of Karmic weather system of chain reactions and "currents" which impact different people in different ways. Around some people these currents coalesce into a stable, pleasant environment where everything seems to just go right for that person. Around others, it creates storm systems and even hurricanes in which the person must hold on for dear life. For some, they receive an even mix of fair and foul weather. For others, it's heavily weighted in one direction or the other. Now the first thing which must be noted is that these currents may be affected by the person's own actions, and most certainly will be, but they are not necessarily caused by that person's own actions.
I think the way I think, and live the way I live largely because of all the different influences and interactions in my life, positive or negative, from my parents, grandparents, teachers, world events, textbooks, friends, enemies, wife, children, and a host of other people with whom I have had direct and indirect contact over the course of my life, and of course God Himself. I speak English because of the actions of English immigrants and settlers almost four hundred years ago in settling along the northeast coastline of North America. I am mostly culturally Californian because of the actions of my grandparents in moving and settling here in Southern California long before I existed. Who I am is largely made up of the consequences of the actions taken and choices made by other people, including even my physical body which is the direct result of the choices my parents made as to who their sexual partner was to be. This holds true for my grandparents, great-grandparents, and every ancestor I am aware of or am not aware of. And not only this, but this holds true for, not only myself, but for every human being who has ever existed, does exist, or will exist. The only one for whom it does not hold true is God Himself who is entirely "other". The consequences even of the actions of kings or beggars thousands of years ago still continue to swirl around us and impact who we are today whether we know their names or not.
We have the option to react one way or the other to these Karmic weather patterns. The choices we make will send new currents and chain reactions out to other people as well as ourselves. This is why it is so important to choose compassion and not selfishness. To choose either to help or be still and not to harm. To give, and not take. It is not only us who reap what we sow, but everyone else has to harvest it too.
No comments:
Post a Comment