That every action corresponds to a reaction should be a well-known principle. Every cause has its effects. Many call this the “Law of Karma”, but we prefer to name it in a way that would be more understandable in the Western language: “The Law of Cause and Effect“.
Everything we do will produce some effects: this is what is commonly known as the law of Karma. But is that so? Namely, is that all?
What I noticed, is that while speaking about this topic, people often forget that our actions (therefore, my actions, your actions and their actions) are in turn effects of something else.
If I insult someone and he gets offended, it’s obvious that I am the cause of his anger. But, what is the reason which drove me to insult him? Am I the cause of his anger, or is the cause of his anger what drove me to insult him?
Thinking that we are ALWAYS the cause of all that happens after we do something is absurd, such as it is absurd for a domino, falling on another domino, would think that he is the cause of this falling.
This doesn’t mean that there is no responsibility in our acts, but…how many times have we a REAL, EFFECTIVE responsibility for something?
This is an important point, and it should have to be clarified, firstly because it could make us discover that our “actions” are not the results of our choices; secondly, because we could discover what to do to avoid “wrong actions”.
An example is a debate during a conversation. Many words, points of view, rage, maybe insults, etc. are spoken – all habitual things. But, at the moment we refuse to discuss, we break the chain of this same discussion so, on one hand, we avoid a possible and umpteenth wrangle; on the other hand, we’ll produce a conscious action, an exemplary behavior, so that those who make discussions and wrangles a reason of life, maybe will have some doubts concerning their behavior. Maybe. What’s important is: we have acted… not re-acted. A conscious act. A momentary “overcoming” of a Law.
Does it seems a small thing?
Analyzing the wheel of “cause and effect” could really bring us to the discovery that our actions are not as decided and free as we think, because they are generated from totally automatic mechanics. Such discovering could also produce in the mind of the attentive thinker, the question: “Ok, but then, what (or who) am I in this game called life?”
“But, who said that we (also you) are?”
It is a question which could bring the beginning of a long path towards inner discovery, even for those who consider themselves to have already begun this path many, many years ago.