There is no Karma

There is no karma; there is no justice; there is no order other than natural.

I shiver when people say 'everything happens for a reason'. I shudder everytime an athlete or an earthquake survivor attributes their victory or survival to a particular god or providence.

If we are to attribute our victories and fortunes to a god - and I see no reason why we should - then surely we must also attribute our losses and pain.

If it is god that saves a person's life in the midst if a disaster, then surely it is god who decides to take the lives of numerous others, by default. If god is capable of intervening in earthly affairs and deferring the death of anybody, but chooses to save only a few individuals (or any number other than all) then god is as responsible for allowing their death as of saving the lives of others. On what basis is this decision made? By what merits are the survivors judged worthy of saving? Why would a loving, all powerful creator spare less than all?

How many times have you witnessed a runner or a boxer or a swimmer (you can pick any sport) thank god for their victory? They credit a supernatural being for their victory, but often no mention is made of their genetic predispositon to the sport, their talent, or their hard work. If we believe that god is responsible for making the winner win, then the corollary must follow; god is responsible for making the losers lose. By virtue of the fact that god has not picked one of the losers to win, they have not won - their fate is sealed, even if only due to a positive choice not made in their favour. Although who knows, god might only enjoy picking the losers!

There are examples abound of injustice, the kind we shouldn't expect to see if there existed any karma or benign intervening force maintaining order. All around the world, people and other animals suffer through illness, disease and starvation. People we consider kind may die young and people we consider unkind or worse may seem blessed with boundless luck.

Providence doesn't exist. Good things happen to bad people and vice versa.

The list of examples available in support of my argument, in addition to those mentioned above, are longer than your arm, or even your leg. There are lots of things that I consider irreconcilable with any karma or godly organised providence that people may claim is in-force. Such theodicies as: 'god moves in mysterious ways' and 'it is not for us to know the mind of god' - don't cut it. They are cop-outs and they are insufficient for us to consider them satisfactory explanation of the world's many ills. They should be insufficient for anybody who is intellectually honest.