A friend of mine and I started talking recently about the difference between Karma and Fate, which really made me sit back and think. We each have our own opinions and who really knows what the TRUTH is, or if there is TRUTH, but this is what I believe….
In my humble opinion, Karma is what comes back to you as a result or consequence of your actions. Rather like Newton’s Third Law- For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In this age of ‘no consequences’ we don’t like to think about Karma, but I believe it exists….even if it takes years to come back around to you.
Fate, on the other hand, (again, IMhO) is something that happens that was ‘meant to be’. For example, I was born to be creative. I’ve been imagining and making up stories and pictures since I was old enough to babble (lol some things never change!) and hold a crayon. Some people are born leaders (like Martin Luther King) and it’s their fate….or their destiny…to fulfill that purpose. I believe each life does have a purpose. Each soul when it takes on corporeal form has a purpose to enact, a lesson to learn or teach, or a providence to share. It’s why we exist.
I believe each one of us, human or animal, have a soul or essence that makes us unique and who we are. I believe this essence starts elsewhere…the universe we’ll say… and, before it takes physical form here on Earth, it agrees to a purpose/destiny/fate that it will strive to achieve. A reason for existence, as it were.
Now, it may succeed, it may partially succeed, or it could not succeed at all and will, in time, try again (Thus, reincarnation), because LIFE happens. Life itself is random. It has to be because it’s a jumble of everyone’s choices and the consequences of those choices. So sometimes the purpose for our life becomes shrouded or we simply don’t have the means to fulfill it, but that doesn’t mean the purpose isn’t there. And, regardless of fulfilling that reason for existence, we can always learn, grown, and (most importantly) make a difference in the lives of those around us.
If we are a young spirit/soul, we may choose a fairly simple, straightforward purpose. Something like being an artist and touching other lives through the inspiration of our art/words/music, etc. If we’re an older spirit, we may choose a more difficult path, but one that is even more inspiring to others and may have an even more significant impact. Such as Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Ghandi, or Nelson Mandela. OR if we’re an experienced spirit, we may choose a truly difficult path. We may come to earth with a handicap; we may be abused/neglected/exploited; we may be murdered or have some other horrible thing happen to us, BUT our life may be truly inspiring. (For inspiration, look up Marshall Stewart Ball)
So maybe I’m confusing the word destiny/fate with purpose, but the way I look at it, it’s one in the same thing. We can choose to go down a different path, but we cannot elude our purpose, the reason for our existence. It will always be there. Whether or not we fulfill that purpose is a completely other story.
I’d love to hear what you think. What do you believe is the difference between Karma, Fate, and Purpose?
Art and Thoughts by ~Morgan
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