The Central Dogma...of Karma?

A very interesting read on free will and deteminism...:)

Instant Karma

My recent summer vacation was very satisfying. Plenty of sunshine, a few surprise showers, tons of mangoes, evenings at the beach, home-made food, good books to read, catching up with old friends and lots and lots of time spent with family. I especially loved being able to chat for hours with A, unhurriedly, and on anything that came to mind. I will recount here a thought process that arose from one particular conversation. It started with movies, and wound up touching upon the Virtue of the Month- Patience, life, death, faith, rebirth, action, karma and individual beliefs in a higher spiritual energy. Yes, that's a whole lot, and some very serious topics that came up from an observation about movies! Here's how it all started.
I had a sudden flash about what's most satisfying about watching movies. Many of you probably already knew this, but it is something that just occurred to me at the time :). Within the 2-3 hours that a movie lasts, every form of retribution is there to be had; the good guys win, the bad guys get punished, love is seldom unrequited, wishes are answered, dreams fulfilled, families reunited, all kinds of knots untangled and loose ends tied up. And yes, I am only referring to the more popular feel good movies, not the art-house or film-noir kind. But, the former are very, very satisfying.
I began to wonder though, if belief in an eternal spirit and in abiding with good, faith in the face of trials and tribulations, especially when confronted with situations where misdeeds go unquestioned and the kind are vilified, would not be easier if the time span over which karma operated was to be dramatically compressed. Is it perhaps the inability to believe in something beyond our physical mortality that prevents us from believing in the need for goodness? Would the classic questions of who knows if there's an after-life/ why should I believe when there is no justice in this situation/ how can there be grace when there is so much suffering/... vanish if consequences were immediate or more readily apparent to both the body and spirit in ways that each individual can understand? Would we all be better doers and stronger believers if karma were instant?
Then again, perhaps things are as they are, just so that we may be patient, we may forgive, we may have faith, we may do good for the sake of it and nothing else and despite everything that seems out of balance in the world around us...:)