Karma?

My head is spinning this morning. Someone asked me if I believe in Karma, the old what-goes-around-comes-around thing.

Well, someone asked the question on my favourite Stay-at-home-dad website. I read the responses of others and my head swam some more.

And I guess, on the minor, insignificant levels, I do believe in Karma. If you're nice to others, they'll be nice to you. If you avoid trouble, it is less likely to find you. If you don't steal cars, you're less likely to end up in prison. Do good unto others . . .

But then, having been a newspaper reporter and having married a police officer, I've seen and heard about too much bad, bad, bad shit happening to kids to buy into Karma. Take the recent case of Phoenix Sinclair in Manitoba. What could a five-year-old have done to deserve to endure a lifetime of beatings, being shot with a pellet gun, stomped on and left to die on a cold basement floor? Nothing. Belief in Karma takes a big hit.

And if Karma is a reality, it would have to be a global reality. And that's where my belief takes another blow. In North America, it seems, we look around at those with more and spend way too much time asking, why not me? What did that asshole do to deserve so much? I only have one car, he has two. I only have two cars, he has three. My house is smaller than his, he takes vacations twice a year . . . and on it goes.

If we step back and take a look at the global picture, most of us in North America are doing exceedingly well. And what, exactly, did we do to deserve it? Most of you reading this are, by global standards, disgustingly wealthy. You have a roof over your head, food on the table, clothes on your back and a computer upon which to read my morning ramblings. You don't really have to worry about your kids being taken and used as soldiers, or prostitutes. You don't really have to worry about them starving to death. And you don't really have to worry about a bomb falling on your house. What was the great Karmic accomplishment that set you apart from some poor bugger in, say, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Darfur? Some sucker who, like you, just wants to live his life, believe his beliefs, have a roof over his head, food for his family . . .

WOW, I really wish I hadn't read that question this morning, and I'm guessing you wish you hadn't opened this page for your morning smile.

Can I pull something positive from this? Can you? Help me out here.

I guess, for my part, I can continue to live as though Karma exists. Continue to do unto others as I would have the do unto me, so to speak. But I can't dwell on, or wait for, that something to be done unto me.

I have so much already, I guess, that I'm behind on the wheel. It's already been done unto me a thousand times over. And maybe I just need to catch up. Maybe that's the point. Maybe I need to stop spending so much time thinking about what I don't have and realize that what I do have is spectacular.

Anyway, that's where my head's at this morning.

It's -29 in Thompson this morning, going up to -18. That, my friends, is a beautiful day here. My boys woke up smiling, they're healthy, happy and life is good.

Happy Thursday.