This video, of course, is making the social media rounds. In
it we see an incident of road range in which the rager is delivered “instant
karma” for his actions when he speeds past the object of his rage, swerves,
then wrecks his truck.
Never mind that the woman recording the video is driving
slow in the passing lane, recording a video while driving and reveling in the
fact that the “rager” got his while she got off scot-free. Karma for him was
bad, karma for her was good.
Except, as I read it, there’s a fundamental misunderstanding
of what karma is, let alone what decent behavior should look like in the face
of an aggressor whether you want a religious message mixed up in the behavior
or not.
“The law of karma,” says the Spiritual Encyclopedia,
“teaches us that all of our thoughts, words, and actions begin a chain of cause
and effect, and that we will personally experience the effects of everything we
cause. We may not experience the effect (the returning karma) right away, and
it may not even be in this lifetime, but you can count on it just the same.
Karma is a cosmic law, which means that it applies to everyone, everywhere, all
the time.”
Read that again. Especially the part that ways “we will
personally experience the effects of everything we cause.”
Video recording lady, you’re creating bad karma too.
What should have been done in that situation?
Well, backing off would have been good for both individuals
involved. When I saw this video, I didn’t think of karma, I thought of this
verse from Proverbs: “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir
up anger.”
Rather than recording the video and acting aggressively
herself as the man tried to pass, this woman could have simply moved over and
let the idiot through. Yes, I suppose that means he “wins” the argument. But
who knows how close the woman was to causing an accident herself – instantly
reaping bad karma of her own. She claims she kept her eyes on the road while
driving, but I have my doubts about that claim’s veracity. Even if she were
keeping her eyes on the road, the more positive karmic solution would have been
to move over and let the idiot through, rather than encouraging his rage and
adding fuel to an already bad situation.
Both drivers were acting aggressively; it was only a matter
of chance, not karma, that both were not involved in an accident. Neither
individual’s behavior is worth applauding.
Claiming karma as vindication for her actions leads her down
a path towards continued bad behavior. Recording the situation and aggravating
it worked the last time for me, she’ll think. So when she’s in another
situation where the choice is to act aggressively or back off, she’ll choose
the former. And the consequences might be different that next time.
Because there is negative and positive karma, if you want to
continue using karma as justification for behavior.
“The shortest explanation of karma that I know is ‘you get
what you give,’” writes Views on Buddhism. “In other words; whatever you do
intentionally to others, a similar things will happen to yourself in the
future. Causing suffering to others will cause suffering to ourselves, causing
happiness to others will result in happiness for oneself.”
Garbled grammar aside, it’s clear that karma is a concept
that applies to oneself and one’s own behavior, tempting as it may be to cast
aspersions at the karma of others. This should be a call for self-reflection
and a reminder of the biblical and Confucian “Do unto others as you would have
others do unto you,” not a revel in the punishments others receive for
perceived bad behavior.
This message is explained well in the Gospel of St. Luke,
wherein Jesus teaches “But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do
good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer
also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat
also” (Luke 6:27-29).
Yeah, that’s a tougher thing to chew on that gleefully
watching an enemy get his or her comeuppance in a situation both of you
contributed to, but no one said being good (or building up good karma) was
going to be easy.
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