Why Do Things Happen?

“So why do things happen? How does life work?
Tell me the truth, so I will no longer hurt.”

“It’s really quite simple. One thing you must know.
Always remember: you reap what you sow.”

I had heard this before and it didn’t make sense.
If I thought about it much, it made me quite tense.

It was the law of karma, of choice and consequence,
Some say cause and effect, but to me it was nonsense.

So I said, “It can’t be true. And I can prove that it’s not.
When a child suffers, it couldn’t have sown what it got.”

“You’re looking at the body and not at the soul.
The body may be young, but the soul may be old.

It is the soul that reaps and the soul that sows.
This is the secret everyone must know.

A soul carries with it from birth to birthr
How it’s treated everything on this great earth.

So it’s like a magnet that repels and attracts,
From situations to people, the soul adds and subtracts.”

“I’ve heard this before, you can attract what you desire.”
She laughed and said, “No, you attract what you require.

Please listen closely while I explain what I mean.
What is really happening is beyond what is seen.

A soul carries with it several kinds of accounts.
There is credit and debit of various amounts.

If you do something good, an account receives a credit.
If you do something bad, an account receives a debit.

The good and the bad can be thoughts, words, or deeds.
These impact your accounts, so be sure to take heed.

If you have a surplus, then things are going well.
If you have an overdraft, you’ll be able to tell.

You may become ill. You may lose your money.
Your relationships may struggle and nothing will be funny.

This doesn’t happen by accident. There are no mistakes.
Nothing happens by chance. It’s a choice you have made.

It’s your soul that has chosen who’s your next of kin,
The looks that you have and the color of your skin,

Whether you’re born into comfort or struggle for wealth,
Whether you are ill or in very good health.

Everything happens as the consequence of a choice.
If you can learn this, you will surely rejoice.”

I could see the wisdom in what she had said.
But then another thought came into my head.

“But what about justice? I don’t think I understand.
Some do awful things and just get a slap on the hand.”

“Please understand from the wisdom you’ve received.
There is no injustice. Do not be deceived.

Justice always comes, but at its own pace.
And it may come when the soul wears a new face.

But this you can’t see. So you don’t think this way.
You judge and condemn, based solely on today.

You don’t think of the future or know of the past,
You judge in the present and become mad so fast.

But what looks so wrong may actually be right.
The history between two souls is out of your sight.

Just realize this: everything will work out.
A better day is coming. Please have no doubt.”

For some people, just hearing the word “karma” can make them lose their happiness. This is because the term has been so misunderstood and misused that it sounds quite cruel.

Years ago, I accepted the law of karma as it applied to me, but I rejected applying it to others. I did this because I thought I was a good person and things were going well for me so I could say I was reaping what I had sown. But I could not apply the law of karma to others, as I could not explain why bad things happened to good people. And certainly, if something tragic or traumatic had happened to me or a loved one, I would have quickly tossed the concept aside or written off the event, thinking the universe had simply made a terrible mistake. But now I understand the law of karma in such a way that it alleviates suffering, rather than heightens it.

The Hindi word “karma,” if literally translated, means “my doings,” although it is often translated to mean “destiny” or “fate,” which is not accurate. These terms imply nothing can be done about what is happening and so there is a sense of resignation in them.

For instance, people may say it is their karma to be mistreated by someone, but in truth, itwas their karma to have been treated terribly yesterday, but it is their responsibility to love and respect the self so much today that they do not allow anyone to mistreat them again. Therefore, karma is used to help accept what has happened in the past, but also be a guide for making choices in the present to improve the future.

To understand karma, we must realize the past is often longer than just one lifetime. Karma – and all laws of attraction for that matter – must be explained in the context of reinca
ation or else it does not make sense and can become quite cruel. Unless we understand that everything the soul does is carried with it, from lifetime to lifetime, we cannot come to terms with why a small child suffers in a hospital or why a drug dealer lives in the lap of luxury. Both are aspects of credit and debit the soul has carried with it.

I initially resisted the law of karma for a few reasons. One reason was the application of it often seemed cold, uncaring, and mean-spirited. My teacher has said this is because people want to punish others, to make them pay for what they have done. This is often the subtext of the phrases: “She had it coming,” “He got what he deserved,” or “It serves her right.” All of these phrases reflect the wisdom of karma, but also contain the desire for revenge, so this is not a benevolent way to use the law of karma. According to my teacher, when we want revenge and want people to suffer for what they have done, it kills the love within us and takes away our happiness.

Another reaso
I resisted the law of karma was because I was not sure about rebirth, which is critical to understanding why things happen.

“I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word and thought throughout our lifetime.” Elizabeth Kubler-Ross