Dear WiseCat,

I feel like a lot of people are focused on karma these days and the superstition behind it all. Is karma legitimate, and if so, should I watch my every move?

Sincerely,

Karma Craze

Dear Karma Craze,

Karma. People get so freaked out by this word. It always seems to be working against you when you’re going through a tough time, but no one ever really seems to stick around to see that it is actually working for you. Sure there are lots of people who don’t believe in it, and there are many that are just unsure of its ramifications in general. I’m a little weary of the whole thing but have recently given it another chance.

A friend once told me that everyone has a karma bank. You do good things; in return, you will have good done to you. You do bad things, then bad will come back to you. Therefore, spread good, and your karma bank will help you out. Now, she wasn’t suggesting that you should go around being “Perfect Polly” or anything, but the intentions are what matter most. People who think things through with the best intentions in mind are the ones who should be rewarded. Now, I’m almost positive that there is a large portion of you out there asking what I am talking about. You might think that I’m making a clear division between good and bad. Not the case at all; I would like to introduce a new perspective of karma to the table.

Karma isn’t just about who did what to whom and how that person was wronged. In my mind, I take the positive approach and go with how people will learn from their mistakes. Sure, they might have done something intentional to you in the past, but how will they learn from this mistake in the future is my question. The answer? Karma. Karma will be the one to help them learn from a completely different situation and help them relate it back to another. In due time, everyone will learn from their mistakes. However, it is important to note that karma is not intended to hurt anyone but rather to help others learn from various experiences throughout their lives.

Overall, karma isn’t something to fear. It will not hurt you in any way possible; it will only help you learn from various situations that you have experienced in hopes that you will be able to learn from something that once was. Because after all, as inspirational author Wayne Dyer wrote, “How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.”