Karma. What a crazy, unpredictable, indescribable phenomenon. Informally defined as "destiny following as effect from cause", Karma is an idea developed and cherished by Buddhism, as well as Hinduism. It refers also to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where the actions of an individual influence his or her future. My favorite way of thinking about the word Karma, is simply, what goes around comes around. Whatever definition you support or read about, one thing seems pretty clear. Karma is a big deal.

I'll be the first to admit, I've dished out my fair share of good karma in my life thus far, but also some bad stuff too. And if you say that the only kind of deeds you perform are the good ones, I'll have to call you out right now. If you're reading this (I'm assuming), you're a human, and humans are innately predisposed to have something I like to call a mean bone. Sometimes we use it when we don't intend to, but everybody has a little mean in them. And it's not a bad thing, that's not the point I'm trying to make whatsoever.

The realization I've come to lately, is that Karma is a very real concept, that I now take seriously. Not in every instance of life, but I've seen Karma work in ways that make insane amounts of sense. Acts of kindness, such as allowing a car to merge in front of you during rush hour, or leaving a generous tip, or maybe paying for a stranger's coffee, are all noticed by "something", and that deed does not unnoticed, something good will then happen to you. I'm not saying you're gonna win the lottery if you hold the door open for someone (although that would be pretty amazing), but maybe you'll find a dollar on the ground as you're walking to class, as an example. One day, I took someone's shift at work because she wanted to go to her friend's graduation party, later that night I got an email of my acceptance in Ohio State's Nursing School. It's the instances like that where I realize that Karma is an active force in my life.

The same concept goes for not so great deeds, however. Being dishonest with someone you love, betraying a friend, just being a nasty person in general. I prefer not to use specific examples of Karma working in negative ways on certain individuals, but it always does. One day, you will be put in the same circumstances you had put someone else in. If there's a chance you've been wronged in your life, I know there's a list of people in your brain that you're just waiting for Karma to work it's magic on. I found a few funny images of this idea.

Although I am a firm believer in the idea of you get what you deserve, I don't always agree on the magnitude of "what you get". Maybe it's that I don't quite understand it. An example is when someone is diagnosed with cancer, say at a young age, and the tumor is inoperable and this person has 6 months to live. I don't believe that is an action of Karma. I believe that sometimes, bad things happen to really good people, and even vice versa. That's why I'm not trying to shove Karma down anybody's throat, because there are some parts of it that even I don't understand!

All in all, I've seen Karma work at it's best, and I believe it's a very real concept in our everyday lives. Of course I could be 100% wrong about all of this but I can guarantee, for every action you take, there will be a reaction, good or bad. And if I am wrong about all of this, and you do win the lottery after holding the door open for someone, please let me know. :)