Karma is an easy explanation for consequence in life. If you walk through a living room in the dark, you may smack your shin on an end table. Studying hard for a test tends to pay off in good grades. Newton’s Third Law tends to hold in life situations, where positive or negative, you get what you give.
However, events such as the continually unfolding chaos surrounding Ferguson, not to mention vastly different living conditions worldwide, demonstrate the limitations of an equal output sort of karma.
I write this not to attack a philosophy but to encourage caution and discernment. The phrase “unintended consequences” often comes to mind. Michael Brown’s interaction with Officer Darren Wilson might not have been the first with other police in his lifetime. However, none had the same result. Wilson told the grand jury he never fired his gun on duty before. However, shootings by police don’t always precede such protests and riots.
On the other end of the spectrum, stories regularly come to light of those more than well off surprising someone like a waitress with a tip much larger than the standard 10 to 15 percent. Waffle House took some heat earlier this summer when it denied a $1,000 tip paid by credit card. Controversy aside, the waitress could not have delivered $1,000 worth of service at a Ruth’s Chris Steak House.
Why write this at all? We know the unexpected is possible, but the problem is it’s not typically planned. Running a red light might get you a speeding ticket, but it might also get you a hospital bill, or worse, somebody else’s bill. Having a “good spirit,” as the benefactor in the Waffle House story reportedly claimed of the waitress, may simply brighten someone’s day, or it may result in newsworthy generosity. You never know.
Maybe I’m inspired by the upcoming season of giving. My feeling is, ignoring what you could possibly receive is the best way to get back more than you imagine. Note this works both ways. If you give out of love, you may have an abundant return. If you give out of hate, you may have more come back than you expected.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Generosity and Newton’s Third Law