RESPONSE TO QUESTION ABOUT KARMA

Remember the 70's sitcom, "Maude?" One of her frequent lines was, "God will get you for that, Walter!"

Karma does not keep score and warehouse judgments as so many people do. It's nobody's business to discuss other people's karma, and it's damn childish to do so.

Karma cannot scare a person into having a loving disposition. Believing that it can leads to irreconcilable cognitive dissonance. As long as there's a club hanging over one's head, along with a directive to be loving or be clobbered, one will never know if their behavior is fear based or based on love. Sure, one can tell himself he'd be loving without the club, but the erosive doubt would remain.

People do a pretty good job of biting themselves in the butt, so karma doesn't need to bother with it.

The sun shines and storms rage at both the innocent and those less innocent. Actions or lack thereof, both positive and negative, have consequences. That's a natural thing that needs no intervention by the karma police. The Creator doesn't program tornadoes to pick and choose households based on the occupant's virtue.

I'm not denying the existence of karma, but for sure, it doesn't exist as a means of passing judgment on others. If we judge ourselves based on karma, it makes a bit more sense, but it can also be a distraction from issues that can be addressed in a simpler way. For example, allowing the gas tank to run dry leads to being stranded. Is that consequence karma, or a simple mistake that doesn't need morality baggage attached?

There are some very naughty people living in conditions that are as close to paradise as one can get on earth. There are some highly evolved and enlightened people living in poverty. I'm pretty sure if karma is involved in both of these situations, the naughty people will be receiving cosmic nudges in a positive direction, and the already enlightened people will simply enjoy an ever greater cosmic embrace.

Rather than think of karma as a potentially vindictive punisher, it's better to think of karma as a friend that guides us toward the experiences that will be of most benefit.

So, happy karma-ing all!

Another response to the question of fearing life: 

It isn't like it once was, when fear kept us out of the mouth of predators, or some other immediate threat, then it was gone as soon as the threat was.

In modern times, it's frightening to not know of all things there are to fear. It's easy to find one's self living under a constant cloud of foreboding. So, do we fear living life or one with too much fear?

Trying to avoid fear compounds its intensity. It becomes an additional case of fear of failure to avoid fear. It also assigns power to fear that is often disproportionate to the threat(s) involved.

Some transcend inordinate fear through the realization that what lies ahead can't be that much worse than what's happened in the past.

Some manage it by taking the time to realize how much they could afford to lose, without losing what's really important.

Some let go of any sense of attachment to life circumstances, thereby cease to fear anything. Interestingly, this letting go can be based on enlightenment or abject despair. I think it's not unusual that the despair and letting go is a necessary step in one's path toward enlightenment.

Rather than trying to avoid fear, it's better to face it with clear vision, and asking what it's trying to tell us, and if it's related to something that calls for caution or action, or instead, the realization that under the circumstances has no purpose.

It's in our DNA to fear the unknown, and we're surrounded by unknown variables. Therefore, anxiety is understandable. This reality also calls for an approach with clear vision. Often fearing fearful experiences is a healthy reaction. Faith in one's Self and the Universe can go far in preventing excessive fear.

In response to the question: "Why fear living life?"

There are a zillion things people can choose to fear. It takes no small amount of mental finesse to separate all the added variables, some natural, some man made, life from consideration of life itself.

In other words, if there were no risks, problems or pain, would life still be frightening?

Life is a gift, and a wise person feels compelled to make the most of it while being grateful for it. That suggests that one has a responsibility to perform well and succeed, and may fear falling short of meeting that objective.

Non-human beings seem to have the right idea. If a threat presents, fear triggers the needed boost to optimize physical performance, that helps them escape the threat. In the absence of a threat, there is no fear.

I think it's uniquely human to ruminate over things to fear. Unfortunately, that leads to chronic anxiety, which can trigger even more anxiety producing thoughts.

I wonder if children who lived "in the shadow of the bomb," benefited from addressing the problem of fearing things of which they had no control. The kids in my neighborhood claimed understanding of the possibility of being blown up, yet they still played blissfully, and without evidence of anxiety or fear. Kids who grow up around gang violence have even more to fear, yet often they play as though there's nothing to fear, even when having lost family members to violence. I think children are tapped into a higher level of wisdom, and some adults should observe and re-learn what the children inherently know.

Many children and adults have difficulty dealing with fear. PTSD leaves people sensitized and reactive, with easily triggered anxiety. Often, if asked "why are you anxious?" they don't know how to answer. I also think many are predisposed, by their DNA to having anxiety, or have both trauma and the predisposition.

The question, "Why fear life?" is certainly loaded, and to fully answer it would take volumes. From another perspective, the question is liberating, if a person with habitual anxiety looks around and realizes there's nothing to fear.

Surviving trauma, hardship, loss, grief and other adversities can be and often is instrumental in transcending fear. Those who survive can help those who are still struggling with it.

A very useful thing to remember is that Love displaces fear. Pure loving intention adds value to life, and leads to a special kind of trust between the person and the Divine. Then, life is appreciated and death is not feared.