Using Karma to Create a Better World

"It's good Karma" 

"You don't want bad Karma!"

I hear these phrases tossed around often, perhaps as a reminder to follow the Golden Rule. So, what exactly is Karma and how can it help us create a better world for ourselves?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, 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"

Essentially, be nice in this life and people will be nice to you in your next life. Be "bad" and "bad" things will happen in your next life. This leads us to believe that Karma mainly impacts our future lives or that Karma impacting our current lives was predetermined in a previous life. What if we don't believe in past and future lives? Can we do whatever the heck we like? Or, does Karma impact our current (and perhaps only) life?

I've recently come to think of Karma in the sense of a more immediate time frame. To build on my previous blog, I think Karma is related to story-telling. How we act will impact the stories we build and will dictate the stories we have of others. If Joe lies a lot, Joe will think everyone is lying to him; his actions will erode his ability to trust others. If Mary thinks only for herself, she will think everyone is thinking only for themselves and she won't feel supported by others. If Susan judges everyone in her life harshly, she will believe everyone is judging her to the same degree. Joe, Mary, and Susan are all creating their own realities through their own actions.

So, what we do in our lives will directly come back to us. In a sense, our behaviours control our perspectives, our daily experiences and our quality of life.

This is great news! Why? Because this means we have the ability to  draw positive and nourishing qualities and perspectives into our lives through our actions.

How can we bring positive Karma into our current lives? I guess the greatest guide is the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have done to you." What kind of world do you want? This is the fun part! You can create a vision for the world you want and begin to act in that way...then see what kind of world you create for yourself and those around you.

What kind of world do I want? I want a world in which everyone looks out for and supports one another. A world in which people focus on commonalities, and respect differences. A world full of love and respect and authenticity. A world full of appreciation! The best way to create this world for myself is to start with my own actions.

I heard this a month ago and I feel I am still unwravelling its meaning:

"We should concentrate on our actions, not on who we are." (Buddha)

Perhaps because concentrating on our actions is where it all begins.

Enjoy creating a world you feel nurtured and supported by!