Self Responsibility

Sent by S. Murali from Muscat

There are certain laws which are involved in our actions and interactions. They are not human laws requiring lawyers to interpret or the police to enforce.   They are natural laws which are constantly operating in every relationship. They are often called the Laws of Karma (action): briefly described by the saying, "As you sow, so you shall reap", described by Isaac Newton as the Laws of Motion i.e. for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The Laws of Karma remind us that whatever quality of energy we give out, we get back. This might not be exactly an eye for an eye, but if we give happiness to someone, it will come back to us; if we give pain or sorrow, it will come back, perhaps not today or tomorrow, but at some time in the future.

Most of us are conditioned by the idea that we are responsible for some of our actions, but not all of them.   For example, we would consider ourselves responsible for the actions which bring our colleagues together for a task at work but would not consider ourselves responsible for the argument we have with a neighbour. We would consider ourselves responsible for driving our family safely to their holiday destination, but if we nearly have an accident because we were trying to get there quickly we might consider the other driver responsible for nearly causing the accident. If we sustain our family through our own enterprise and professional efforts we would take the credit, but if we turned to a life of crime to clothe and feed ourselves we might blame the inequalities of society or the years of a difficult childhood.

Through spirituality, we are reminded of the unchangeable laws of cause and effect, which awakens our awareness of our true responsibility for each and every action that we perform.

Because most of us have forgotten the principle of karmic returns, we have learned to avoid taking responsibility for many of our actions.   We fail to see the impact of our actions upon others and we fail to see that the real meaning of responsibility is our 'ability to respond'. Life can be seen as a series of responses which we each create in our interactions with other people and events.   As is the quality of our ability to respond (energy given), so will be the quality of the return (energy received). The Laws of Karma also serve to remind us that our circumstances and our personality today are the result of what we thought and did yesterday, last month, last year, perhaps in our last birth.   Many people do not like this idea or find it difficult to accept because most of us have been taught that our destiny lies in someone else's hands or in the hands of fate or luck, about which we can do nothing.   Karma is also sometimes referred to as the Law of Reciprocity.  It is a law which teaches us that there is no such thing as luck and that whatever happens to us today is the result of our benevolent (positive) or negative actions in the past.   If you spend a few moments reflecting on events in your life, without judgmental or emotional, you will begin to see connections between actions and results, causes and effects.   When you see how all effects have their causes, you will then be convinced that this universal law is at work in your life at all times.

Though all of us know the subject, this is being sent as a small reminder. We sincerely wish all of us live the GOD gifted short life fully.