Ecotrian QOTW: DO YOU BELIEVE IN KARMA AND DESTINY?

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When we talk of Karma, we do not conclude that Karma exists only by the stories we have heard or witnessed, but also by the fact that nature has always rewarded us with the fruits of our labor. It has always crowned hard work with success and laziness with the opposite.

Destiny on its own is seen as a preordained path of life that some people believe may be delayed but never denied; could this be true? Can any force naturally drag one to a predestined state without his efforts?

When we compare Karma and Destiny together, we can see that they depend on our ACTIONS to either punish us or reward us.

When a boy is born in a royal family, we can say that the baby was predetermined to be a prince, and we can also say that he is destined to be a king, but being a prince sometimes doesn't guarantee the prince ends up a king. Many princes have lost their throne either through their actions or through referendums and the like. This makes it confusing to say whether destiny exists or not, and also contradicts the saying that destiny can be delayed but never denied. It is more convincing to say that our end is a function of our actions than to say that our end has been predestined to a particular path, except if we attribute predestination to God Who with his power sees our end even before we get there. But then, being able to see our end doesn't mean He will predestine some people to succeed and some to fail. He is a just God who gives everyone equal rights and opportunities. He predestined two ends for us; the end where we live and achieve our goals both spiritually and physically, and the end where we end up in regret of actions.

To me destiny exists but what it turns out to depend on us. No force will drag you to a predestined path without your effort. I am very certain that Karma is real. My facts won't come from the scripture as some of us are not Christian but from nature and things happening around us. There has never been a farmer who harvested yam after sowing maize nor have we seen a hard-working man that is in lack. Every man receives a reward based on his input. Even before the coming of Christianity, pagans and atheists believed that evil never goes unpunished, and that good deeds bring good luck. It was more of a natural knowledge bestowed on man from birth.

Can Karma And Destiny Exist together?

Since they both depend on the action we take, it is obvious that both of them can exist together, so that there exists a balance between action and reward. Rewards most times are motivating factors that prompt us to do good, and it is also a factor that prevents us from doing the opposite.

This is why those who follow the right path to receive good rewards get what is destined for them and those who deviate from the path of good battle with the consequences of their actions.

I think accepting the existence of Karma is a good way to instill virtue in the young. I remember how the story of a man who was a terror to his parents and society when he was young helped in shaping me. It was told that the man later got married and had his children turn into a thorn in his flesh. As we were told back then, the treatment he received from his children was twice what he gave to his parents. We sometimes hear some parents admonishing their children to desist from evil to avoid receiving the same measure from their future parents.

In conclusion, there is KARMA not backed by scripture alone but by nature which rewards good with good and evil with evil. There is also destiny but whether we achieve that which we are destined depends on our ACTION. No external force will push you to your destiny. God cannot do for you what you can do for yourself.