Karma Is A Hurricane

Whether you believe in the Almighty, a higher power or just plain Karma, the dramatic and catastrophic events hitting our globe are awesome and unfathomable.  From terrorism, tsunamis and hurricanes to constant spitefulness and viciousness between brothers, sisters and Facebook “friends”, our world is not the same.  What is happening?

I’m no scientist, meteorologist nor terrorism expert, but I do know one thing.  We are all responsible.  If you believe in climate change and racism or you believe in a vengeful, wrathful Creator and a “religious” war, there is no way you can ignore the cause and effect of what we are experiencing.  We can’t chock it up to random coincidences, but rather “synchronicity” and “Karma”.  Let me explain.

As a huge “Oprah” fan and a dabbler in the metaphysical, I have always appreciated the fact that this great humanitarian and public figure awakened many people to spirituality and the art of “doing good” and living a joyful life, despite challenges and traumas.  One of the most important lessons I learned from the many years of observing her mission in life (and it is a mission), is the fact that the universe responds to everything that we do.  I learned this when I was a teenager, studying “Kabbalah” in “Bais Rivkah,” which only confirmed and validated my very limited knowledge of the simplicity of cause and effect.  We are all part of a universal flow of energy, intertwined and interdependent.  What I do, affects you and vice versa.  Selfishness has contributed to the loss of “Loving thy neighbor as thyself”.  This basic tenet has gone the way of the rotary dial telephone and frankly, it has always scared me.   Being kind is limited to emojis and social media comments and only when there are disasters do we finally come together…Get it?

I remember watching one of Oprah’s shows where she explained that if you are going down the wrong path, you will constantly get signs from the Universe that you need to change direction.  The analogy was that first you get a gentle reminder from G-d to shift your gears in the form of several small mishaps that you blame on random events.  If you don’t heed the small “signs”, those signs will metastasize, like a deadly disease.  You will get a metaphorical “stick “thrown at you and if you still don’t change, you’ll get a “boulder” and tragically you can become incapacitated if you keep traveling down your toxic road.   This always resonated with me, personally.  Anytime I did something that I innately, knew was bad for me, I paid the price.   I, myself, believe in Hashem- my creator and father and I use the Torah to guide me and reign me in.  I try to be loving and see the good in people and realize that whatever challenges I face are either good for my soul’s growth or signs that I am not fulfilling my life’s purpose.    Today, I am blessed to be getting very positive signs that substantiate my current course in life.  As much as the personal catastrophes that I’ve faced in my existence were unyielding and damaging, the pure joy, light and calm waters that have arrived for me and my loved ones after the years of turbulence, prove that there is a calm AFTER the storm to look forward to.  First, we need to survive it, by changing our behavior and outlook. 

If we pollute our planet, our planet pollutes us.  To me, G-d is not an old man in heaven lashing out on us, but rather a loving parent who does not want his children to suffer, but gives them the free will to choose.  We choose and then suffer the consequences because of our choices.  If the world, as a complete body, commits human calamities by trying to destroy our fellow man, whether through war or through vicious words and actions, we pay the price.

G-d promised us that he would never destroy the world again, but I fear that we are destroying it all on our own.

Be kind and thoughtful.  Do good.  Don’t speak badly about your fellow man and LOVE will save our day.