Do you believe in karma?
Do I believe in karma?
Well, darling, I have to admit I’m not entirely sure.
The idea that the universe keeps a little ledger of everything we do, handing out rewards and punishments accordingly, is rather appealing.
Someone treats you badly, and eventually life gives them a taste of their own medicine.
Someone does something wonderful, and something wonderful comes back to them.
Neat. Tidy. A rather satisfying arrangement.
But life doesn’t always seem to work that way, does it?
Sometimes lovely people have absolutely dreadful luck.
Sometimes people behave appallingly and appear to sail through life without a single consequence.
And sometimes the kindest person in the room gets taken advantage of.
If karma is a cosmic accounting department, I’d rather like to have a word with the management.
But there’s another way I’ve come to think about it.
We leave something behind in the people we meet.
Every interaction, however small, changes something.
You can make somebody feel welcome.
You can make them feel foolish.
You can give them confidence when they’re doubting themselves.
Or you can be the reason they hesitate the next time they want to speak.
And those things don’t simply disappear when the conversation ends.
People carry them.
Sometimes into their next conversation.
Sometimes into their next relationship.
Sometimes into the way they treat somebody who has absolutely nothing to do with you.
A little kindness can travel further than we ever know.
And unfortunately, so can cruelty.
Perhaps that’s the closest thing to karma I can confidently believe in.
Not that the universe will necessarily punish somebody for being unkind.
But that the way we treat people helps shape the world we all have to live in.
And I think there’s another important distinction.
Being kind doesn’t mean keeping score.
It doesn’t mean doing something nice today because you expect a favour tomorrow.
That’s not kindness, darling. That’s a transaction with better packaging.
We should be kind because the person in front of us is a person.
Not because we expect the universe to send us a thank-you card.
And we should have boundaries, too.
Being a good person doesn’t mean allowing somebody to treat you badly while you wait for karma to sort them out.
Sometimes the kindest thing you can do for yourself is walk away.
So, do I believe in karma?
I don’t know whether the universe keeps a ledger.
But I do believe our actions matter.
I believe the things we say can stay with people long after we’ve forgotten saying them.
And I believe we have a choice about what we leave behind.
A little encouragement.
A little dignity.
A little room at the table.
Or another reason for somebody to think the world is a colder place than it needs to be.
If there’s a kind of karma I want to participate in, it’s this:
Let the good you put into the world be good in its own right.
Don’t do it for a reward.
Do it because somebody’s day might be a little better for having crossed your path.
And if nothing ever comes back to you?
Well, at least something good went forward.
And that, darling, is rather enough for me.
Stay Fabulous,
Luce 💋
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