But as we delve deeper, do we truly understand how convoluted karma is? My biggest issue with the concept is that it discourages the development of an inherent moral compass. For a believer, how difficult would it be to stay moral if karma were scientifically disproven, if actions had no guaranteed consequences?
It’s hard for people to grasp that moral values don’t always need a carrot-and-stick approach. People can develop an internal sense of right and wrong without external rewards or punishments. But that rarely happens, because for centuries we’ve conditioned ourselves to expect consequences for everything. It’s understandable that primitive humans relied on this for survival, but it doesn’t hold up in today’s world.
Another disturbing aspect of karma is how it’s used to rationalize suffering. Are we really supposed to believe that children dying of starvation in remote villages are paying for sins from a previous life? Can anyone, with their hand on their heart, truly believe that?
Without diving too deep. I’d end with a few questions for anyone who still believes in karma and its philosophy -
If karma follows you through birth and death, and is said to determine your rebirth into human form, how did your previous lives accumulate karma?
Do animals collect good and bad karma too?
When do you think your first karma emerged?
When were you first tangled in this karmic spiral?
Where is karma stored and counted?
And finally, if you’re being puppeteered by karma without ever asking for it, how does that make you feel?