The dark side of Karma

Karma as a concept is an inseparable part of eastern philosophy and religion. The idea that you reap what you sow and whatever deeds you do in your life will then go on to shape your next life is one that should rightfully prompt people to be better individuals, to care for others, and lead a life focused on increasing your karmic balance. Right?

The complex relationship between philosophy and religion

You would expect a powerful philosophical idea to have powerful counter-arguments, this might very well be the case with western philosophy but in the east, especially in a country like India, the history and evolution of philosophical ideas have always been deeply intertwined with religion. This places eastern philosophy behind a complicated web of explosive dogma that if you touch the wrong wire you blow yourself up for questioning religion itself. Karma is also one such concept that sits atop this untouchable pedestal. The result of which has led to some spectacular misinterpretations of the idea itself.

Karma and empathy

Instead of generating empathy, karma is used by some to give themselves a free pass for being unempathetic towards the suffering of others. “Maybe he’s out there begging on the streets because he must have done something horrible in his past life” is the kind of attitude that often accompanies belief in karma. Privileged individuals can so easily disconnect from the suffering around them with a simple reassurance that they earned what they have from the karmic deeds of their past lives. The toxicity of such a thought doubles in intensity when you attribute someone’s suffering to the karmic deeds of their past lives. This kind of justification allows us to emotionally disconnect from the underprivileged.

Karma is not supposed to make us Judgemental

Karma is the law of nature that transcends time. It unravels the nature of existence as a complex web of actions that connects us all, it tells us how everyone is connected by their actions and how those actions when borne of compassion, instead of judgement, can stop us from passing the ball of suffering between each other for all of eternity.