What goes around and comes around?

Karma.

In the last few months I have suddenly become aware of the fragility of human life. It is a known fact that immortality cannot be achieved and we will all eventually die. Yet when young people die before their time we are overcome with sadness. Furthermore when a young person dies as a result of the thoughtless, reckless decisions made by others; we are sad and then angry as we start to realise how short, unfair and unpredictable life really is.

A hit and run accident on New Years Day killed two girls under the age of 21, a boy is still critically ill and one was injured. I happen to know these people so the event is raw and real for me, but this happens to people every day. The rash actions, futile acts of stupidity, and complete and utter misuse of free will condoned by some human beings changes thousands of lives forever. The immediate response to this change is of course devastation, grief and bitterness. However, there are some people who use the idea of Karma to deal with these incidents. karma is defined 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' Even though the theory contradictions western religions who say that we succumb to the will of God rather than our own, the same idea is echoed in the Christian phrase, 'reap what you sow' Galatians 6:7.

Some describe Karma as a safety mechanism. It is a way for humans to hope and wish that one day those who commit evil and do wrong, will be punished and receive their comeuppance. When sudden situations, like young deaths occur, I think the idea of Karma and destiny can play an important part in the grieving process. For those who have faith, their grief is aided by God, as they believe he has taken their loved one for a reason and has better things in store for them. However, for those who do not believe, like myself, a discovery is needed to make sense out of shocking disasters, unexplained accidents and events that make no logical sense. This explanation can echo the idea of Karma in that the people responsible for these occurrences will eventually receive their payback. Or by looking at the bigger picture there is an unknown reason for the outcome present now, however the effect of the situation may have set into motion important events to come.

There are many different places where Karma can be noticed, considered or simply wished for. It can be the smallest incident or the greatest disaster. In life it is often said that bad people always seem to get happy endings, but for how long? Wealthy people gamble and win more money while millions starve, will they be rich forever? Just the idea that one day justice may be found can create a little peace for the few people who choose to see it.

Unexplained events surround us every day all over the world. Some just accept these and are content to assume that life on earth is simply that and there is no necessary reason for us to be here. They say we must enjoy our existence and there is not a reason for everything in life. I can see some truth in this idea as there is much about the world we cannot control or understand. Yet what is the harm in trying? I deeply believe that there is a reason for humans to exist, there is a reason we are the superior life form and there is a reason we have a soul, for it to live on after death. Therefore if we need to speculate about life's reasons, wish for justice and create possible rational solutions in our minds in order to feel better, what is the harm? Whether we exist for a reason or not, we all have in us an innate desire for justice and fairness. Therefore when this is not achieved we can but naturally imagine a time when it will be.

Karma is there - should you see a reason for it to exist.

Luck, a man-made idea?

Do you ever take time out of your day to wonder how luck has played a part in it?

The idea of luck centers around chance, fate and faith, all things we ultimately have no control over. We normally become aware of luck when we notice it's absence. We believe a pre-determined force is out to get us, after experiencing a sudden negative turn of events or upon hearing some bad news. If this negative pattern continues we then label ourselves as unlucky. However, what does luck actually signify and how can we be sure it exists and it is not just a coincidence disguised in a man made ideology created to increase hope? By definition luck is 'a force that brings good fortune or adversity' or 'a favoring chance.' Therefore it's existence is an added bonus, but it's absence just joins the end of a long list of attributes, qualities and objects we don't have, but nevertheless depress us further because we don't understand why we don't have them.

Luck can be measured on a variety of levels, depending on how you view it. There are universal symbols of luck such as the four-leaf clover and Irish leprechaun. We also collect personal items throughout over lives that prove lucky for us. This could be a favourite pair of underwear, piece of jewelery, photo or general keepsake. Whether these items are lucky we will never know. It is questionable whether our belief in them, tips the scales to creating a positive outcome when they are near, or if the luck surrounding them is merely a random turn of events.

Symbols of bad luck usually center around superstitions, involving breaking mirrors, black cats crossing paths and the number thirteen. Do we believe in these myths to provide a reason for our fear of making a mistake or choosing the wrong path? Certain acts are often created to promote fairness and assure the outcome is left to chance, for example when names are picked out of a hat. Sometimes our faith is tested when our prior expectations are proved correct and so cynical thinking comes into play. This can therefore remind us of how unlucky we are or suggest the idea that luck cannot exist as humans will always intervene and upset the natural and supposed random order of things.

We can also ask how much is luck dependant on free will? We live our day to day lives and make choices, some big and some small. Along the way luck intervenes and either helps or hinders us. It's presence can sometimes belittle achievement, as we believe our constant efforts are often wasted as an unknown element is in complete control waiting to shine it's light on us and seal our fate. Luck is also an idea used as an excuse for uncertainty. If we cannot be completely sure of something we say it is all down to luck. Therefore humans are absolved of error and blame, as whatever they do they cannot be sue of anything, because luck does not knock before it enters. The element of surprise then becomes our safe house. How does that make any sense?

We come back again to the idea of subjectivity. One person might consider constantly tripping up and walking into things a sign of bad luck, whereas another might look upon this as a clumsy behavioral habit that could be passed down genetically. Similar to irony, good luck normally pays a visit to someone else when you are feeling particularly in need of it. This is described in the great words of Alanis Morissette in her song Ironic, 'it's meeting the man of my dreams and then meeting his beautiful wife'. Now the reaction to this differs from person to person. Some, like myself, read into situations of irony, fate and luck and believe that there is a reason why each of them have occurred at that precise moment. Others refuse to believe that such a power can exist without human interference. Unfortunately neither can be assumed as right or wrong.

Most unknown, invisible, ideas, notions and beliefs are linked together magically in a web of intangible mystery. Some believe that a man makes his own luck, others believe it is bestowed at random selection. The idea of luck simplistically is hope. Hope that on your birthday the sun will shine. Hope that you will excel at that job interview. Hope that you will one day fall in love with someone who loves you back. Hope that something good can happen to you and it not be in the form of payment, guilt or necessity. Hope that something good can happen to you for no other reason than at that particular moment of that particular day you just happened to deserve it.