In an effort to make myself seem more objective by pointing out my own subjectivity (and then informing you about it) I'll write up front: I hate the idea of Karma. I think it is an insipid, sanctimonious hunk of bovine secretions only outdone by the sanctimony of its many New Age adherents and I hope it goes away soon and we can all forget about it.
So apparently “the universe” (rather than God or Santa Claus presumably) has a big list with all the names of you little boys and girls and in-betweens in it and in which he/she/it writes down when you've been naughty or nice, but not just in this life, oh no, it's a list of all the lives you've ever led (yes you have more than one, did you know that?) and it will punish you for all the naughty things you've done by making you live again but this time with Polio or cardiac arrhythmia and when you've been nice enough and learned your lessons you get to go to the big playground in the sky forever, and there's ice cream and cookies and chocolate for ever and ever and you never get cavities or a stomach ache or sugar-induced diabetes.
Yeah I'm not going to be making any friends with this one.
Let's start things off with the more universal problem: what is this claim based on? Just like with all claims regarding the unobservable, untestable and fairy tales in general it is tantamount we ask: “what in the blazes makes you think that?”. I mean, really? Something is keeping track of your spiritual development? Who? Why? You have more than one life? How? There is a sort of “God-less” Heaven where you go when you've ascended your lowly, sinning ways? Where? And most importantly: what credible basis do you have to assume all this? And if you're the type of person that just assumes it “as if” it were true to have some sort of guideline; who is deciding what's right or wrong? You? Some guide. And no; Karma only makes sense when you also accept the business of souls, reincarnation and Nirvana, you can't cherry pick only the “you'll get yours someday, that's your Karma” bit, which is disturbing enough by itself in any case. Moving on.
The thing that really gets my goat is the reason this whole idea is becoming popular in the first place, and let me tell you the motivations are not flattering. I realize full well that there are variants of this principle that can do some good (as a sort of “what goes around comes around” thingamajig) and –while still irrational and lacking foundation in reality-- those I do not have as big a personal problem with. However: Karma is gaining traction now because large amounts of people in Western cultures are looking for ways to justify their lack of empathy and social engagement.
As a result of the revolution of the Self of the last century, where personal development and happiness became the central principle to guide one's action (which was fostered and cultivated by corporations as a way to sell more products using the techniques of Freud and psycho-analysis), people are looking “within” for their salvation, and Karma offers the perfect ideology to support that preoccupation. Allow me to explain.
You're uncomfortable about your relative social and financial comfort in a time of mass poverty and warfare? No worries! You've deserved it! Your suffering in past lives and the actions you took to rise above it have brought you this far. Rest easy. You're uncomfortable about the troubles of your friends but don't really want to help them? No worries! They obviously still have some lessons to learn in this life and it would be best for them if you just left them to their own devices to rise above their tarnished spirit. You're in trouble? No worries! That's all part of the plan remember? Don't try to battle the injustices, you obviously still have some lessons to learn and it's best you let it sink in as much as possible (and develop your spirit) instead of solving it --and even potentially ruining the lessons of others--. Wait, you do want to help out? No problem! In fact if you do so it will help you personally in this life or another; you don't have to worry that you might not get anything back, Go..I mean “the universe” remembers your virtue and will pay you back eventually!
Basically, you can morally justify any situation with minimal effort. If you can't be bothered to let other people's problems get in the way of your lifestyle, bam, perfect justification. Corruption and greed in your economic and political system? Oh well, they'll be punished eventually but I'm watching TV right and my toe kind of hurts so I obviously can't go out and do anything about it –and ruin all those lessons the poor and downtrodden obviously still need to learn in the process--I hope they'll become as enlightened as I am someday, bless their little souls.
Fuck that.
Cheers.
PS: And yes I do judge a belief by its followers.
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