YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW

“Instant Karma's gonna get you

Gonna knock you right on the head

You better get yourself together

Pretty soon you're gonna be dead

What in the world you thinking of

Laughing in the face of love

What on earth you tryin' to do,

it's up to you, yeah you…”

"Instant Karma" by John Lennon

Few days ago, I was listening to a friend talked about his personal problems and frustrations (which included his failure to watch Rick Astley’s Manila concert, the failure of the Philippines to get even a single Olympic medal and the early retirement of his fave porn star from the business) when he blurted out these words, “Naka-karma na yata ‘ko, pre.”

I tried to assuage his hurt by telling him that the Philippines would definitely bounce back and get lots of gold medals when the Olympics finally decided to include graft and corruption events. And as for Rick Astley, well, we still have Roderick Astl-, err, Paulate.

That wasn’t the first time I heard that word (karma) that day. Few minutes before I talked to my friend, I was with a cousin who told me, “Magu-good karma ka niyan, kuya,” after I lent him a small amount of money.

“’Pag binayaran mo agad ako, ‘yon ang good karma ko,” I kidded him.

I am really not a religious person nor a superstitious person but I do believe in karma.

Karma’s tenet, basically is, “if you do good things, good things will happen to you, If you do bad things , bad things will happen to you. The severity of the result of your actions depends on your motivation and intention.”

A brutal interpretation of a person on how karma operates happened a few years ago. A man in his 30s was bobbitized (meaning the proof of his being a man was cut off; remember John Bobbit?). As this man was agonizing in his hospital bed, the news program’s camera showed his wife, already at police custody, and was asked how she was feeling. The wife (who still looked angry and disgusted) showed no compunction. “Karma niya ‘yan, “ the wife told the reporter. “Babaero kasi ‘yan, harap-harapang ipinapakita sa ‘kin ang pambababae niya.”

I then wondered, if that was the fate that was reserved for lalaking babaero, ano ngayon ang karma na naghihintay sa mga babaing lalakero?

“Somebody will sew shut their…”

I stopped my friend before he could finish his unpalatable statement.

You can’t hurt other people intentionally and expect to be showered with rewards and good lucks. That’s not how karma works. Don’t expect to get away with murder. You can’t. You can run but someone or something will eventually catch up with you. Don’t expect yourself to be happy and your life smooth-sailing when you’ve just cheated somebody and cruelly stepped on his/her face.

Pull somebody down and somebody will not only pull you down but throw you off a ravine. Scheme to make someone fail and others will scheme for you to not only fail but lose your sanity. Steal something and other people will steal not only your property but your soul. Treacherously break somebody’s heart into two and somebody will break your heart into a million pieces.

What you sow, you reap.

What goes around, comes around.

Every action has a consequence.

Don’t friggin think your bad deeds and past sins won’t haunt you and torment you.

It will.

Right, John?

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!"