I don’t believe in the mystical version of karma, where there are cosmic circumstances to the things we do, mostly because I do not see the good rewarded. Bad things happen to good people, and that seems to go against the tenets of karma. But I believe in natural consequences, where actions cause other things to happen.
If someone takes out a beaver dam, the lake goes away as a result of meadowification (I’ve seen that word somewhere.) If one does an illegal act, they are much more likely to get arrested. Natural consequences are not perfect, because there are guilty parties who are never punished, but at least they always have to watch their backs. (Donald Trump, for example. Do you think he’s a happy man? He faces at least some of the consequences of his actions.)
Are consequences always equal to the magnitude of the action? Not always; we talk about people not getting what they deserve. Natural consequences lack a sense of justice that karma gives us. There is no divine retribution possible with natural consequences. But I think it fits the data of daily life better.
Words Like Me 