Mass Destruction and Karma

A few readers wrote to me with similar questions. They wanted to know about the role of karma, what place it has in the events of mass destruction and natural calamities like war, massacres, genocide, plane crashes, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and so forth. Let me share my point of view on this.

As I wrote earlier, I do not believe that the law of karma is your answer to everything, every occurrence. It is possible to retrofit theories, to force a square peg into a round hole and cover the gaps with some adhesive creating the illusion of a perfect fit, but it will only offer some temporary consolation, some short-lived solace.

Before I address your question, it is important to remember that it is the conditioned mind alone that asks questions, the conscious mind coated by conditioning. It rejoices in calculations, analysis, and exploration, it thrives on curiosity, it feeds on inquisitiveness. Not that anything is wrong with that, in fact, it is this very human trait that helped our race to surprise ourselves, and amaze ourselves, to rule above all the other races, whether that is good or bad, is up to individual interpretation. Consider the following:

1. The Questioning Mind

Imagine, on one side, having a mind that is endlessly asking questions, and on the other, the same mind is addressing, fielding, dodging, and answering them. That is probably how human intellect has developed over millions of years.

It is like giving clay to a child. He keeps creating different forms while the charm remains but then he molds all the figurines back into a ball and puts it aside. He may repeat the process up until he grows out of it, until he is fascinated no more and gets another toy. Similarly, your conscious mind keeps you busy, it wants to keep you fascinated and engaged. It gets tiring after a while.

Just like physical matter, mental matter can neither be created nor destroyed, it can only ever be transformed. Intellectual satisfaction from one theory today may give way to another philosophy tomorrow. Einstein put it aptly, “You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it.”

2. The Quiet Mind

Now, on the other side, imagine a mind that is diving into an infinite ocean of bliss, it has gone quiet. It is alert and conscious, superconscious in fact, but it is not bogging you down with endless questions about some philosophy, some abstract theory you want to plug into a tangible thesis; instead, it keeps you focused, keeps your energies channelized, escalating your awareness to an entirely new level.

Your most profound answers will emerge from a state of quietude. In a state of quiescence, you start to understand what is important to know versus what is more relevant, your answers will no longer produce more questions, and more answers and more questions and so on. It will come to a stop. You have to experience that state to know what I mean.

I can only show the path, your deliverance depends on you alone. It does not come from scavenging second-hand knowledge, it comes from the dawning of inner wisdom, it is the outcome of quietening your mind so you may see the real you. It is easier to see what lies beneath the clear water when it is still.

I encourage you to tread the path of attaining quietude to experience a constant flow of bliss, you will get all the answers, and more importantly, you will get all the right questions.

On to your question now; let me segregate it into two parts:

1. Natural Calamities

Our planet has developed its own coping mechanism, an evolving ecosystem, a sustentative cycle, it is not dependent on the human race for its sustenance, and as such, does not see us as any more important than an ant. It does not reason like us, if it did, we would be long gone.

Acts of nature are simply corrective measures it takes to maintain its existence. Whether that involves spewing fire by erupting mountains through volcanic actions, earthquakes, or mass destruction to cast off the anomalies, it does so indiscriminately. Like the dog that shakes off water after a bath, like a snake that sheds its old skin, Nature renews, realigns, and rejuvenates itself.

There is a natural order to most things. When butter is brought next to heat, it melts. As wonderful as it is, it is not an act of grace or grief. For example, there may be no media coverage of mass destruction, no sense of loss if a hurricane hits an abandoned island and no one is hurt, for, no one lived there. Explorers may seek answers, reasons, but from an ecological, geological perspective, it is highly unlikely anyone will approach it through some esoteric philosophy or religion, or through arcane laws. Predominantly because a sense of attachment is missing.

However, if the same incident takes place in a densely populated coastal area causing casualties, and mass destruction, we start searching for an answer in religion, in philosophy, in divination, and so forth. You may agree to disagree, but all religions, bar none, are mere philosophies; actionable items are called rituals. Great spiritual leaders passed on their wisdom and followers shaped it into religions.

2. Handmade Disasters

If I have my facts straight, every minute, more than two hundred fifty people die on earth. It is accepted as normal, it is the standard mortality rate, they say.

However, when hundreds die in mass destruction, such as in a plane crash, in war, or in crimes against humanity, we label this as abnormal; absolutely, it is.

Yet, just because the scale is bigger, or because the act is concentrated, it does not mean there is an all-encompassing intellectual proposition to feed a satisfactory explanation. Searching for answers in a religious theory or some cosmopolitan philosophy is just as abnormal.

Behind most wars, mass destruction, and most crimes, lies the misguided human spirit of competition, misplaced emotions, and misdirected energies. Such heinous acts remain eternally hideous, driven by greed for power, for lucre, for a position, they are commissioned to satisfy ego and lust, and they are murky acts of glorified ignorance, unmistakable signs of a barbaric mind.

Since we have an evolved intellect, how flattering, we like to give ourselves importance. We somehow feel that Nature, God, others, the world, must owe us something. We believe everything must have a meaning; our life, our death, every incident, every phase, and every occurrence has to be supported by some intelligent answer to appease the insatiable curiosity of the conditioned mind.

There may be theories, some scientific basis, cause-and-effect, and what have you, but that does not mean there is an absolute reason. Whenever anything undesirable happens, we want an answer, because most of us have been conditioned to believe that if you worship God, if you pray, nothing bad can happen; you derive your own truth from that. You may like to read – Does prayer change things? How does God answer?

So, where does that leave us in terms of praying, divine grace, and God? Do they mean anything? Of course they do. Can they help you? You bet. I will cover it in the near future, if not in the next post.

Peace.
Swami