Ka Ka Ka Karma!!!

I’ve been wanting to write an article about Karma for a while, but I decided to hold off on it to really analyze and observe the world around me applying Karma to my life. My common sense definition of Karma is “What goes around comes around.” But to my surprise and recent research, I found out Karma is an Indian religious concept. Not only that, but it also has several definitions.

One definition of Karma is the concept of action or deed, understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect. It originated in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, and Sikh philosophies.

Also, Karma is in contradistinction to faith advocated by Abrahamic religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which view all human dramas as the will of God as opposed to present and past life actions. If practicing Karma in Hinduism beliefs, people have free will to choose good or evil and suffer the consequences, which require the will of God to implement Karma’s consequences. If practicing Karma in Indian beliefs, the Karmic effects of all deeds are viewed as actively shaping past, present, and future experiences.

Here are a few Karma quotes I came across in my research:

“O youth or young man, who fancy that you are neglected by the gods, know that if you become worse, you shall go to worse souls, or if better to the better… In every succession of life and death, you will do and suffer what like may fitly suffer at the hands of like. This is the justice of heaven.” ~ Plato

“Thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges.” ~ William Shakespeare

“Men may not get all they pay for in this world; but they must certainly pay for all they get.” ~ Frederick Douglas

“I'm a true believer in karma. You get what you give, whether it's bad or good.” ~ Sandra Bullock

My own personal belief in Karma is: “Do good. Then good things happen. Do bad. Then bad things happen.” ~ Me!

But then it got me wondering. Bad things happen to people all the time whether they do good things or not. If you are always good, does that mean that something bad happened to you because of something you maybe did in your past life? Do you believe in a past life? Or if you did something bad, do you keep in the back of your mind to track it and count that towards the Bad Karma you’ll probably receive in the future? If I live my life (the only life that I know of and the only life I have ever had) believing in Good Karma and doing good things left and right for the sake of only having Good Karma returned to me, does that mean I’m going to wonder like crazy and back track what bad thing I did to deserve Bad Karma if or when it hits me? Hmmm……Interesting……

I’m not so sure I believe my own Karma definition after all. But I will say this: Long ago in my trouble-some days in high school, I remember I stole a lipstick from a Rite Aid store because I didn’t want to pay for it. I had the money, but I didn’t want to pay for it. A few days later, my car wouldn’t turn on. Bad Karma? No, it couldn’t be. A couple months later, I saw a really expensive mascara I wanted and stole that too. A week later…….my car needed a new alternator. Bad Karma? Yea right!! Not too long after that I ran out of powder make up so I saw a nice one at Rite Aid and stole it too. What happened to my car? It needed a new starter!! Bad Karma? Um……yes I started to believe it was. I remember telling Andrea this “I can’t steal anymore make up.” She asked laughing “Why?” I said “Cause I can’t afford to fix my car anymore.”

I’m not so sure if my car breaking down after I would steal make up was the true calling of Bad Karma, but I do know that I don’t want to mess with it. And because it’s wrong to steal! Duh!! But I do believe that if you surround yourself with good things and good people, that good things will happen. Otherwise, why are they good? Good comes from good and bad comes from bad. It’s as simple as that. I’m very blessed to have good all around me with my friends and family. They are around me because I put them there and because I want them there. I can easily abandon everyone and I know I would fall apart without them. I cherish and appreciate each friendship and every bond I have with my family. Even if I’m 200 miles to 2 million miles away, they are my Good Karma. Do you believe in it? So let me leave you with an oldie but a goodie: “Treat others how you wish to be treated” because "Karma is a Bitch!" Thanks for reading!

For The Love of the Game

As I grow older and I see many of my classmates begin to move on with their lives and begin new chapters, I can’t help but wonder if I’m doing the same. I may not be moving in the same way they are, but I am moving on.

…..……….I think.

This past weekend, my best friend of 15 years, Andrea, came to visit to celebrate Halloween and her birthday as it falls on that holiday. Every year, my friends and I gather together in our best costumes and head out to Downtown San Diego for a little bar hopping. This year was just as fun as the ones before, however, I had a conversation with Andrea that struck a cord of curiosity. We were talking about having her move back to Oceanside (which I always try to convince her of because I miss her so much) but she is set on staying in Brawley. She tells me it’s time for her to grow up.

I didn’t take offense to what she said, but it got me thinking about my life and what I’m doing. Am I having too much fun? Do I need to settle down already? I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: I don’t desire marriage nor do I desire having children. But I won’t say “never” because I believe there is a slight chance that one day the right kind of love will change my mind about everything. I believe it’s out there but I’ve never had it. The kind of love that blinds you and changes your whole world around. The kind of love that gives you a new perspective on life. The kind of love that alters your beliefs. The kind of love that not only makes you a better person but keeps you the same as you always were. And when you have it, you just know it’s going to last forever. That’s the kind of love that I’m hopeful for, but for now, I’m just having fun being me and weighing out the contestants.

And even if I never get it, I think I would still be hopeful for it because I’ve seen it with my sisters and with my parents. Even if I die at 100 years old without that love, I’ll always be hopeful for it. But I’ll never be waiting for it. I refuse to wait for it. Why would I? Why am I going to wait for something that might never happen? Imagine if I wait my entire life for that kind of love to happen, how much time I would waste. I want to do things for me, not for the person that could be with me. I want to plan and live my life according to me, and if it so happens that I meet someone along the way, then great!! But for now, I’m going to do what is best for me. And that is accomplish everything that I wish to accomplish. I want to pay off my debts, travel, teach in different countries, live in different countries, earn a masters, earn a PhD, write novels, write songs, write poetry, play my piano, play my dad’s guitar, sing all my songs, perform all my songs anywhere and everywhere, and sing everyday for the rest of my life. Ok so I already do that last one pretty much every day; however, I don’t want to be one of those people who wait around for love to come. Love doesn’t and shouldn’t control your life. Yes, it’s great if you find it and have it early on in your life like it happens to many people, but if you don’t have it now, then why waste your time waiting for it when you could be living your life to the fullest.

And while the trials and tribulations of dating can be harsh, I know that maybe someday that love will come. I have to feel that all the bull shit many people go through with the whole dating scene and the games people play is going to have to be worth it one day. Games like where someone will keep a person at an arm’s reach so that they don’t get too close nor get too far but just there enough to get you whenever they want. Or the repetitive pattern of “I’m sorry, it was a mistake. Come back. I’m sorry, it was a mistake. Come back.” I’ve seen it happen too many times with my friends and with myself. The player may think we don’t know the game, but we all do. We just have to be smart and strong enough not to fall for it. And it’s hard not to fall for it when it makes you feel so important and so wanted. It’s just like my friend said: “It’s a game where they make you feel so good that you feel like you’re flying and just when you’re about to touch the sky, they cut your wings and you fall hard getting hurt when you hit the ground. They apologize and say it was a mistake. But then do it to you again and you continue to fall for it.”

Sometimes I think that I am too hopeful for this kind of love to come into my life. Sometimes I feel like I get too hopeful to the point where maybe I have too high expectations. But I honestly would rather have high expectations, even if it dissapoints me when/if it doesn't work out, than to go into anything with a pessimistic attitude. I'd rather be hopeful than expect the least in someone. Why would anyone want to try anything expecting the least from someone? I'll always be the eternal optimist. Even in my darkest hour.

With all that said, I move on. Because it’s the right thing to do. Because I care too much about myself to let anyone or anything hurt me. Because my life is in my control. And because one day all my dreams will come true.

One day……

Thanks for reading :o)

A Hidden Message?

I wrote this poem when I was going through something with someone and I think it can be kind of self explanatory. There are two ways to read it. One is left to right and the other one is....... well....... you figure it out :o)

Waves
You remind me of beautiful waves
Coming in on the sandy floor
Raging so strong, so powerful
All over the awaiting shore

Never ceasing to surprise me
Diving in and hitting so strong
Your inconsistent beauty confuses me
I wonder if I’m often so wrong

And just like the calm peaceful lakes
Mimicking waves subside and the current is slow
Hearing the soft ocean breeze
Enters a fear deep within below

A fear too often recollected
Responding to the calm waters I see
Triggering tears from our past
Breaking the heart within me

Rocks skidding across the waters
Over the stillness of your being
Keeping me at an arms reach
Entertaining yourself free willing

Never to question what it is I feel
Or bother to say where you’ve gone
The waves remain steady with silence
Like you, they remain so calm

However, before I know it
The waves rage again
I over indulge in your sweetness
As the waves start coming in

Such beautiful sounds blanket my ears
I resist the urge and try to transcend
Seeking the courage to say
This needs to stop and it needs to end.

By: Jessenia Lua

This other piece I wrote while sitting on a cliff watching the ocean and feeling the breeze across my face. Sometimes I feel like there's a higher power in the world that can guide you and give you signs that everything is going to be ok. So from that moment, I wrote this poem: Colors

From The Gray

Have you ever listened to the wind
Have you ever heard its haunting call
Do you let it catch your tears
Or do you just let them fall

If you close your eyes for a bit
You can hear what it wants to say
It may confuse you at first
But you’ll see colors from the gray

By: Jessenia Lua

Thanks for reading :o)