Karma

Several years ago, I spent 5 weeks backpacking in India on my own. It was an amazing experience that I'm sure I'll be processing for the rest of my life.

I didn't go to India on a spiritual quest per se - rather, I was just curious about how a significant portion of this planet's human inhabitants were living their lives. One of the lessons I learned is that there is no way a casual observer can possibly understand a culture so different from his own - it would take years of study, maybe lifetimes.

But one of the concepts that I developed an appreciation for was that of karma - admittedly, mine is a deeply flawed and westernized appreciation, but one that I have found useful in thinking about how I go through life. And I apologize in advance for any unintended offense I may cause by my personal interpretation of this concept.

What took me on this path was a discussion with a gentleman I met about beggars.

In western societies, we have certain attitudes about beggars. We tend to pity them or be repulsed by them. Sometimes we act charitably and sometimes we don't. But beggars are viewed as living outside of the mainstream of our society. And we see their existence as something wrong - if not with them, then with the system.

It's different in India - it was explained to me that beggars provide a valuable spiritual and social service - they afford an individual the opportunity to gain positive karma by acting in a positive way, by giving alms. The effect is focused on the giver, not the receiver. There is no implied obligation to the beggar.

Instinctively, the first part of that is an easy concept to accept in a western context - it makes us feel good to do something good, and cumulatively, it makes us better people. But we sometimes get lost being bothered about the beggar - Why is he begging? Why doesn't he just go get a job? Is he just a scammer too lazy to work? When we start worrying about the beggar this way, that's when we begin to lose our focus. It doesn't really matter if the beggar is trying to take advantage of us - what's important is our reaction. Are we compassionate and charitable in our hearts? Or are we mean spirited and selfish?

Karma is an individual, personal thing. The sum total of my actions and choices will determine who I am (and in some eastern religions, who I may become). So I carry this thought around as I go through my days and weeks and years. I try to do the right thing, simply because I want to be a good person. And I try not to worry about those who choose to act otherwise, except to counter those acts as best I can, insofar as they really affect me and those I care about.

Real estate, for me, is like the beggar on the street corner. It has a unique ability to present me with choices, on a daily basis. Do I choose to do the right thing or not. Do I focus on my actions and their consequences, and seek the right path, the good act. Or do I allow myself to become distracted with the unimportant - for example, the boorish, unethical or lazy behavior of some of my peers or clients, who may have chosen a different path.
 
Most of these choices aren't big ethical issues - they're little, perhaps trivial decisions. But cumulatively, they add up to a whole, with its own particular moral weight and tone. They become my karma. As with most important things in life, getting karma right is a continuing challenge. And the rewards are, ultimately, personal and intangible.

Mary & Dick Greenberg Coldwell Banker - Fort Collins 702-A W. Drake Rd. Fort Collins, CO 80526 970-689-4663 www.maryanddick.com