Is Karma the Real Deal? Is What You Give

You’ve heard of karma, right? It’s that old saying of “What comes around goes around” and it's sometimes the only thing that gives us comfort when we are being mistreated by others. But do you believe it's real?

Do you ever wonder if karma is real? Do people truly get what they deserve (both good and bad), or is it just wishful thinking?

I, for one, believe that karma is without a doubt real and this is why: It’s been proven to me time and time again.

Here are just two incidents in a sea of several hundred, if not thousand, that instantly come to mind when I think of karma:

Example #1 – Giving Opens You Up to Receive

volunteer group saying thank you for clothing donation

On one particular occasion, I was extremely strapped for cash. I had switched careers and was just getting back on my feet financially. Bills were getting paid, but that was about the extent of it. There was no extra. In fact, just buying a soda at the convenience store was considered a big spend that I often rationalized wasn’t in the budget.

So, when a friend approached me about collecting donations for a charity, I wasn’t sure what to do. I had the greatest respect for that charity (it was the Special Olympics) and even more respect for my friend that was willing to jump in freezing cold water in the middle of winter to benefit those in need. I was torn to say the least.

I went over my budget again and again. I knew that I would be pulling from some bill related account if I was to do this. Was it worth it? Could I just say no and wait until the next time a request came around to hopefully be able to give then?

Suddenly my mind reverted back to when I did the 3-Day 60 Mile Walk for the Susan G. Komen Foundation to raise money breast cancer. When I was asking for donations (it took $2,500 in donations to walk), people gave freely and willingly. In fact, it was the giving of others that made that experience possible for me.

I knew I had no option – I had to find a way to donate for this great cause.

Because I am self-employed, I do have a little latitude with my income. I work long hours anyway to make sure I provide my clients with quality work well before deadline, but I decided that I was going to have to lengthen my days just a little because it was the right thing to do.

So, that is what I did. I donated what money I could and set out to try to make it up. And, make it up I did. I got some really great job offers immediately after that which more than covered what I had donated. It was like a writing job avalanche had been released and suddenly all these wonderful jobs were coming my way.

Was it karma? I have to believe so. I think that it was the fact that I was willing to give when it was very difficult to do so that allowed me to be blessed in return.

Example #2 – Play With Fire and You Will Get Burnt

crest of flame on burning wood in fireplace

In my “former life” when I was in law enforcement as opposed to being a writer, I saw karma working all the time. When I was out on the road doing my best to protect and serve, I saw person after person who would get what they deserved. On this one particular occasion, I got to be involved in giving it to them.

I had just started my shift with my partner and we set out for what promised to be a quiet day. Our bailiwick (the area we were going to be patrolling that day) was known to be quiet. It was a rural farm community where not much happened beyond the occasional barking dog or cow getting loose in the road.

On our way to check in for duty, we got behind a vehicle that was clearly going faster than the posted speed limit. I know because my partner and I were behind it and it was pulling away from us.

We decided to initiate a traffic stop and activated our top lights. For the first time ever in my career, the vehicle didn’t stop. It kept the same rate of speed as if we weren’t even there.

Giving the driver the benefit of the doubt (perhaps he didn’t see us behind him) we let our siren chirp a time or two in an attempt to get his attention. That’s when he suddenly hit his brakes and took a quick right turn onto a road that was less congested with traffic and he took off. We now had a chase on our hands.

Because safety of other drivers is rule number one, we always backed off when coming over hills because we weren’t sure what was on the other side. We wanted to stop this driver that clearly felt he had a reason to run, but we wouldn’t do it at the expense of innocent people.

Due to our caution, we created a little bit of distance between us and the driver we were trying to catch. I feared that he was going to get away and was concerned what that meant for other drivers on the road that would be subjected to his crazy driving.

Enter karma.

While trying to maneuver his vehicle around a turn, the driver lost control and ended up in a very deep ravine. So deep, in fact, that you probably wouldn’t even notice his vehicle lying at the bottom unless you knew it was there to begin with.

Knowing he had nowhere to go, the driver knew he had no other option. It was time to give up. Without further incident, we took him into custody and placed him in the back seat of the patrol car.

His reason for running? It turns out that he had no valid driver’s license and was two times the legal limit for blood alcohol content. He knew if he was caught that it meant jail time for sure since this wasn’t his first driving offense.

Thanks to karma, we were able to get this guy off the road so he couldn’t endanger anyone else. And, in law enforcement, we’ll take all the help we can get sometimes.

So, is karma real? Without a doubt. In life – what you give is what you get. Test it if you wish, but be prepared to find out for yourself.