Life is Not Fair, so Let’s Not Pretend It Is
“Always be a little kinder than necessary.”
Karma — in the oft-tossed-around contemporary sense — is not unlike the Biblical doctrine of “you reap what you sow.” This concept seems to come from the idea of a “just world” — that God, or the universe, holds the scales of justice in His almighty hands and pours out retribution according to the wrongs one has done. Or conversely, he pours blessings, health, and prosperity upon the righteous.
What if this were true?
Let’s say you were born into a rich family, or perhaps you “pulled yourself up by your own bootstraps” and are now successful. If you embrace the idea of reaping what you sowed, you can pat yourself on the back for being so good to have reaped such fortune. You “deserved it,” after all.
But what if you are in a difficult situation? Some unexpected tragedy occurred. Your life took a turn and you feel at wit’s end. Did you reap what you sowed? Did you deserve that?
If you believe in the concept of a just world, that what goes around comes around, when tragedy happens you have no one to blame but yourself. Your misdeeds resulted in this evil. Woe is you.
But the truth is, sh*t happens. Bad things happen to good people. Good things happen to bad people. A…
