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...:)

Many Faiths, One Truth

Appa's words of wisdom for his girls:
Good things happen to us,
Just not in the same dimension we imagined.
So, have faith and give a prayer of thanks!

Faith

Life is no straight and easy corridor along which we travel free and unhampered,

but a maze of passages,

through which we must seek our way,

lost and confused,

now and again checked in a blind alley.

But always, if we have faith,

God will open a door for us,

not perhaps one that we ourselves would have thought of,

but one that will ultimately prove good for us.

- A. J. Cronin

A new lesson

Every day of reading through the training material for UFS brings a renewed sense of purpose, an urgency for action, new wisdom and more empathy to all forms of suffering. This is a lesson I learnt today in the context of health education and its importance in community health services.

'Self-efficacy is one of the most important precursors to behavior change, is a good predictor of future behavior, and has many important implications in health education. It is one of the constructs of Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). Self-efficacy supports the notion that successful behavior change requires that a person have a strong belief in their ability to exercise control over a behavior, or learn a new behavior...'

The lesson, however, extends beyond the sphere of health education, and it should not be mistaken for brainwashing. The important message is, having understood the benefits of following a certain practice, be it meditation, exercise, a healthy diet, or a way of thinking, one must then also believe that one is capable of taking the necessary steps required to achieve that benefit; in other words, one must allow oneself the confidence that he/she can overcome internal barriers to growth, change detrimental habits, and follow up with incremental positive changes in the right direction.

Baby steps to a lofty ideal with faith and sincerity. Believe! :)

It is also the month of love. And while I'm at it, let me share another special hymn with you. This was also the hymn my class and I sang together on our last day in high school, in our chapel, holding a candle in one hand, the hand of a friend in the other, tears in our eyes, and hope in our hearts. Stepping out 'into the world' as our teachers put it, this hymn helped me center in the knowledge that one will never be too far from the loving care of God; our lives are, after all, in His hands.

My Life is in Your Hands

Life can be so good
Life can be so hard
Never knowing what each day
Will bring to where you are
Sometimes I forget
And sometimes I can’t see
That whatever comes my way
You’ll be with me

My life is in your hands
My heart is in your keeping
I’m never without hope
Not when my future is with you

My life is in your hands
And though I may not see clearly
I will lift my voice and sing
Cause your love does amazing things
Lord, I know, my life is in your hands

Nothing is for sure
Nothing is for keeps
All I know is that your love
Will live eternally
So I will find my rest,
And I will find my peace
Knowing that you’ll meet my every need

My life is in your hands
My heart is in your keeping
I’m never without hope
Not when my future is with you

My life is in your hands
And though I may not see clearly
I will lift my voice and sing
Cause your love does amazing things
Lord, I know, my life is in your hands

When I’m at my weakest Lord
You carry me
Then I become my strongest Lord
In your hands

My life is in your hands
And though I may not see clearly
I will lift my voice and sing
Cause your love does amazing things
Lord, I know, my life is in your hands
I trust you Lord
My life is in your hands