People often have this question: Why do ‘bad’ things
happen to ‘good’ people? And, with some exceptions, they always also ask: And
why do ‘good’ things happen to ‘bad’ people?
The questions themselves need review. What is ‘good’ or
‘bad’ is subjective. What you may see as the right thing to do may be wrong
from another’s point of view. And what you see as wrong, may seem perfectly
right to someone else. I believe that
these questions arise because of the ego being active in each of us. For
instance, you are ethical, sincere and diligent. Yet, when you don’t get a
promotion or a raise, your ego incites you to question the situation. It
implores you to see someone else who has managed to get that raise as one who
is ‘inferior’ to you on the work ethic scale. This is how this journey of
demanding fair-play from Life pans out. To be sure, it did not begin at the
workplace. It began at home, in school, when parents or family pointed out to
you that ‘Life has not been fair to you’. Over the years, you have only been
led by your ego to continue to view Life this way.
Pause and reflect a bit. Did you ask to be born? This
Life was “given” to you, wasn’t it? And at the time of birth did Life make you
any promises? Did it say your Life will be this way or that? Since there were
no guarantees offered, no assurances given, where’s the intelligence in craving
for them? The truth is Life keeps on happening. Life sees all its creations as
equal. It does not choose its “targets” for “tough examinations” per income or
social strata. Life does not see anything as good or bad. Ethics, or the lack
of it, make no sense to Life. Whatever Life delivers at your door, you have no
choice but to accept it. Your suffering begins only when you refuse or resist
the Life that is happening to you!
Religion and the scriptures talk of the Law of Karma. I
agree with Osho that this is but a way to ‘console’ ourselves as humanity. The Law
of Karma is no scientific law, like say the Law of Gravitation. A ball thrown
up in the air__whether in Chennai or Kabul or New York or Sao Paulo or Kyoto or
Wellington or Kota Kinabalu or Colombo__will come down. We can argue and verify
the Law of Gravitation – it can be examined. But when the Law of Karma says
that we will bear the consequences of our actions in a future birth or we are
bearing the consequences of our actions, from a past birth, in this one, I am
not sure we can verify or examine the case being made. Who has seen an earlier
Life or can be sure to experience another one in the future? In my humble
opinion (in no manner do I seek to rubbish the Karmic Theory), and in the
limited context of my Life experience – this is the ONE and ONLY Life we have.
This is it.
Each of the events in our Life have happened because they
simply had to happen. There’s no merit in qualifying and further analyzing if
we deserve what we are getting or are given. Don’t label anyone or anything or
any event as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Don’t compare. Don’t ask why. Life’s happening to
you 24/7. Just watch it happen. You don’t like what’s happening to you, learn
to accept it. You like what’s happening to you, learn to be grateful for it.
The only way to live Life is to live
it happily, for what it is!
Superb. Thanks Avis.
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