I was standing in line at the bank. I waited patiently for a few minutes as the person at the counter was helping another customer. Just when the customer ahead of me was done, another man walked in and submitted his work at the counter. I almost yelled at the man and only my civility prevented me from slinging choice words at him and at the person at the counter. I fumed and raged while I waited again.
Will that man now suffer for his evil action? When will he pay for his “crime”? When will I get my justice? I imagined the kinds of punishment I could deal to the man. I needed to punish the man. But, I couldn’t do it myself. I needed someone, or something, to punish the man. I needed justice! I cursed him. Perhaps, that will add some bonus points to his piggy bank of bad karma. How much has he accumulated in his piggy bank? When will that piggy bank fill up and start paying out? Perhaps those bonus points will fill up his bag sooner and lead him to his punishment. I couldn’t wait for the time when he might face his judgment.
My rage following the event above was rooted in my need to get justice for myself. I followed the rules and rightfully expected to be the next customer being served. However, another person was rewarded by not following the rules. In addition, my own opportunity was stolen from me. But, by being enraged, wishing harm upon the perpetrator of the crime against me, by being disappointed that the perpetrator was rewarded for what he had done, I had lost my peace of mind.
Who is being punished here?
The person who had wronged me? Or, is it me, by losing my peace due to the unfulfilled expectation of justice for myself?
We are so enamored by the concept of justice that most of our lives and our actions revolve around it. We create heavens and hells for our afterlives, and we imagine the accumulation of karma in order to satisfy our sense of justice. Do good, accumulate good karma and be rewarded with an afterlife in heaven. Do bad, accumulate bad karma and be rewarded with an afterlife in hell. Depending on our religion of choice, we could perhaps even win a complete release from the cycle of rebirth, or win a trip back to life, perhaps as an animal, or a higher being destined to have a difficult or easy life. Like frequent flier miles, once we accumulate enough points, we may redeem them. The difference here is that we have no choice on the timing or the quality of the redemption, and possibly no expiry dates.
But, does nature truly care? Does a lion that eats a deer alive accumulate bad karma and suffer later in life or in its future lives? Or, will it go to hell? Should all carnivores switch to being herbivores? But then again, wouldn’t killing and eating plants accumulate bad karma? Does a gardener accumulate bad karma for mowing a lawn? Or, is the accumulation of bad or good karma more nuanced? Does necessity somehow blunt the accumulation of good or bad karma? Is moving a lawn a necessity?
Bad Karma?
Why does it have to be so complicated?
Whether karmic consequences truly exist or not, believing in it binds us to our need for justice. That bond fuels our attachment to actors, actions and events. If we perform actions to accumulate good karma, we feel disappointment when we are not rewarded for it — “I have been good. Then, why is this happening to me?”. If someone else performs an action that, in our minds, should accumulate bad karma, we feel disappointed when that person isn’t punished for it — “He is evil, then why is he having such a nice life?”. With enough number of such incidents, we become disillusioned and begin to dislike our own lives. We build a metaphorical hell within our own minds, and duly imprison ourselves within it.
Instead, what if we begin to accept this universe for what it seems — Completely neutral? As having no understanding of good or bad — As having no love for good, or dislike for evil. What if we begin to see events merely as consequences of actions performed by actors, without attributing any value of goodness or evilness to any of them?
If this universe is ambivalent towards good or evil, what is it that may matter to it?
Our bodies are machines. In order for a body to work at peak efficiency, different parts need to be working in harmony. Each and every one of us is also just a cog in the great machine called humanity. For that machine to work at its peak efficiency, we all need to work together, in harmony. Therefore, it seems that achieving harmony is in the best interests of all of us.
Nature does not understand good and evil.
It only understands harmony and disharmony.
This universe may have no understanding of good or evil, but it seems to understand harmony and disharmony very well. Therefore, what if we characterize actors, actions and events merely by their potential for harmony or disharmony, both within and around us? No distinction of good or evil — just harmony or disharmony. When we truly see neither good nor evil in others, ourselves, in the actions of others or in our own actions, we are no longer bound to our idea of karma, and human or divine justice. We will find that harmony is the true reward, and disharmony is the true penalty.
The enticement of justice, both human and divine, are merely tools for achieving and maintaining harmony in society.
Laws and the enticement of justice, both human and divine, are merely tools for achieving and maintaining harmony within our society. However, between all the focus on good, evil, and the lure of rewards and the deterrence of punishments, the true purpose of justice is overlooked. We must look beyond the veil of justice and focus only on its true purpose. Instead of aiming to achieve justice, we must only aim to achieve harmony, both within and around us.
At the bank, if I truly see the person’s action merely as an event that is a source of disharmony, instead of seeing it as a selfish action by an individual, I will no longer boil in rage at the individual. I will not focus on the individual, instead, I will only see an event that is potentially a source of disharmony. I have two options at this point, correct the disharmony or attempt to prevent the spread of disharmony. I can point out to the actor that he is causing disharmony. However, I must keep in mind that the way I point that out itself must not be a cause for disharmony. If the attempt fails, instead of being enraged and hoping for divine justice, I can choose to not let the disharmony spread within me. I can accept the event as the way the universe deemed necessary, and move on. That acceptance will be the bulwark against the spread of disharmony within me.
It must be kept in mind that there are individuals who would take advantage of such an outlook. Undue acceptance of disharmonious actions by such individuals will itself sow disharmony within and around us. Hence, in such cases, actions must be taken to prevent its spread. We may keep our distance, cut off the person completely, or if neither is possible and no other option is available, defend ourselves from any future disharmonious actions. However, achieving justice must not be the focus of such actions. Our own actions must always be focused on achieving harmony, both within and around us. That focus on harmony, instead of justice, will serve to improve the quality of our lives.
It is not the correctness of an action that is important in this universe — it’s whether it causes harmony or disharmony.
If a loved one gets angry at us, for example, instead of feeling indignant and wanting to get back at the person or to defend ourselves or to get justice for ourselves, we must focus on the disharmony being generated by the action, and through our own actions, prevent its spread. Do not focus on whether the other person is right or wrong, or good or evil. Instead, focus on the disharmony and do the best to prevent its spread. Because, ultimately, maintaining harmony is in our best interests, and irrespective of whether a divine judge exists or not, it is not the correctness of an action that seems to be important to this universe that we are currently inhabiting — it’s whether it causes harmony or disharmony.
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