“Karma is a bitch”
That is the usual proverb you will hear whenever Karma strikes somebody, mostly very badly.
The whole concept of Karma of course has its origins in a religion. However, if you are an atheist like me, there are still some very good reasons to believe it exists.
See, I am not trying to convince you of anything. As I always preach, everybody has to find their own religion (or the lack of it respectively). I myself need proof to believe something and if there is no real proof, I at least want some scientific support and backup.
Now I am not a scientist. Neither am I a philosophe, but sometimes I just like to think – about society, politics, the universe and, as we would say in Germany, “god and the world”. To me thereafter the concept of Karma looked very logical. It was striking how well it fits into my atheistic and science-centered view of life, even though it is a religious idea.
Basically, there are two things that make Karma look plausible to me – conforming with science and the lack of some “higher being”. I do not believe that Jesus walked over water or turned it into water just because what scientific proof or close alternative would be to support at least parts of this story? I also find the idea of a God very naïve. To me personally there is just nothing that would make me at least slightly believe in that. Sure, we cannot prove that god does not exist, but that is not a good argument in my point of view. Also the fact that we still cannot explain everything we know, or that we do not know everything at all, is not reason enough for me to start believing in God.
Still, that is a totally different topic, so let’s just get to the Karma-thing, shall we?
There are two aspects that fit into and work with each other like two gears that make it look like Karma might actually be a thing. First, we cannot explain everything we see, and second, everything is always in balance.
First of all, we cannot always explain what we see and just because we do not see it, does not mean it is not there. Sure, this can also be said about a God, but the idea of a God having created everyone and everything does not work together with the second aspect… urgh, sorry, I am wandering out again. Let’s take a look at atoms for that. We know there is the core with protons, neutrons and the electrons circling around the core ‘n stuff. However, we do not know what is between those two. There is energy, the reaction between the positive core and the negative electrons together with the centrifugal force etc.. However, we still have not really decided what this space is, or is filled with. Is it filled with energy? What exactly even is energy? Can something be filled with energy or is there really just nothing? A totally empty space? (Yes, I am aware that there is research going on in that field, and this is a far too complicated topic for me to really understand the research that is going on. I also know that this is a very simplified view on that, but going into detail here would go way too far. I do know from science class that there is no absolute answer to what this space is and that it is filled with, and that is enough for the topic of Karma).
Second, everything in the universe is in balance. Mass cannot be destroyed, just changed in its form. If you pour water from one class into another, the water does not just disappear from the first class, it has filled the second class for as much as the first glass has lost. One thing always leads to another – call it as you want.
So what does that mean now? We do not know if there is something like a soul, or if our soul (or its actions) are some kind of energy, or mass, or whatever inside the universe? It might as well be just “nothing”, just like there in fact might be “nothing” between the electrons and the core of an atom. However, thinking of our mind and our soul, our memories and our decisions as “nothing” seems absurd to me. After all, the brain works with electrical impulses between neurons, nerves etc. which itself is a form of energy. Therefore, I do not think that our mind can really be nothing. Which is why the idea of Karma fits so well into that. There has to be some balance. Probably there is no “positive energy” and “negative energy” as some call it. After all, we all do not know what there really is, and to be honest, I do not really mind not knowing. The thing is just, that everything you do has to be in balance because that is how the universe works. You do something bad, something bad will happen to you. You do good, good will happen to you. The scale can only be in balance, and therefore Karma will always hit you, as I see it. Or maybe I am wrong and being a total dick is balanced out by someone being overly nice some other place on earth? We do not know, but maybe this has got you thinking a little. I thought about it, and the concept of Karma looks logical to me.
Just think about that for a second. What do you think? Tell us in the comments below.
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