I think I have learned the definition of karma: In life, some people have the experience and some people are the experience. And the rest of us, at various times in our lives, are both. One blogger I know but do not follow much makes her living by falling behind on the mortgage and reporting, in sad and slightly panicked tones on her blog, the imminent potential loss of her farm -- the heart and soul of her life (although you'd think that if it was her real heart and soul she'd spend less time tweeting about television shows and more time working to ensure she has a roof over her head).
The thing is, people donate to bail her ass out of trouble; they always have, I have seen her run this scenario many times since she first bought her farm.
And there's a couple of ways to look at it. You can get angry at the irresponsibility, the half-truths, the outright scams and the veiled threats. Or you can view it from more of a universal perspective, which is that she is providing an experience for people, karmically speaking.
Some are learning that it feels good to help others, no matter who those people may be. Others are learning that you can't always believe what you read. Others are learning that you can give to people who you ultimately come to believe do not deserve it, tuck that little life lesson into your pocket and move on. But no matter what, everyone is learning from how she lives her life.
Look at Mother Theresa, for a more positive example. She went around saving people and therefore was a kind of direct experience with Good for many of them. But she also served as a worldwide example of generosity and selflessness. And so she caused people to have experiences with those values she so aspired to live -- spirituality, charity, and love.
Look at Mother Theresa, for a more positive example. She went around saving people and therefore was a kind of direct experience with Good for many of them. But she also served as a worldwide example of generosity and selflessness. And so she caused people to have experiences with those values she so aspired to live -- spirituality, charity, and love.
I guess karma truly comes in the form of what people learn from you. Do they learn generosity, suspicion, disappointment, or hope?
I have seen this phenomena with televangelists. I think the key is that they ask for money for "the church" or for "God's work" rather than for themselves, although that is where the money is going. Why can some people see through it and others can't? I have no clue.
ReplyDeleteThe most puzzling thing is that the people who are in the least position to give, will give. Or will at least fall for the story that is being given. And more puzzling is that the person on the receiving end has no compunction about taking it. Maybe because the givers are nameless, faceless people and the askers have no empathy for the fact that others have bills to pay too.
It will be interesting to see if the Karmic bus ever arrives. And yes, I do think people are learning from it.
You are so right about the people who give -- they ARE the ones who have the most to lose; they are mostly the ones for whom every penny counts! Just like with the evangelists. But I guess if they learn a valuable lesson, ultimately they will benefit from the experience they have...down the road. I just can't look very often, because I hurt for them and their naiveté.
DeleteIt's funny because while she does annoy me terribly, it's the money-dumping fans that annoy me more! one of my all time favorite quotes (from one of my all time favorite people) is "if they're dumb enough to give me $1M to make a picture, I'm certainly not dumb enough to turn them down"-Elizabeth Taylor (I may have actually paraphrased rather than quoted, but that is thr gist).
ReplyDeleteIt's true! The fan base is hugely annoying. One thing I am immensely grateful for is that, of late, she seems to have become a pop culture/media commentator more than anything else The less time she dispenses homesteading advice is a blessing for all. If people want to donate so that some lonely woman on a farm can watch TV and tweet about it, then who am I to say no to that?
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