We hear the word karma all the time.
"That's karma."
"What goes around comes around."
"You'll get back what you put into the world."
But is that really what karma is? Is it some kind of cosmic reward-and-punishment system, where every good deed earns a prize and every mistake eventually comes back to haunt us? Or have we gradually turned an ancient philosophy into something it was never meant to be?
The word karma comes from Sanskrit and literally means action or deed.
In both Hinduism and Buddhism, karma is first and foremost about cause and effect. It isn't a system of rewards and punishments. It is the understanding that every choice, every word and every intention sets something in motion.
The idea of karma is also far from new. For more than 2,500 years, it has been a central part of Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. While different traditions explain it in different ways, they all return to one essential idea: our actions matter. Not because an invisible judge is keeping score, but because every action creates consequences.
Interestingly, science describes something remarkably similar, although in very different language. Psychology and sociology have shown that our behaviour influences the people around us. Kindness tends to build trust. Respect strengthens relationships. Hostility often creates distance. Not because the universe is handing out points, but because human behaviour naturally shapes the world we live in.
Perhaps this is where the greatest misunderstanding begins.
Many people imagine karma as a cosmic accountant carefully keeping track of every good and bad thing we have ever done. As if every hardship must be payment for a mistake made somewhere in the past.
Personally, I don't believe that's what karma is about.
Life happens to all of us.
People become ill. We lose those we love. Accidents happen. We face situations we never asked for. To tell someone, "That's your karma," often oversimplifies life's complexity and can be deeply hurtful.
Science tells us the same thing. Our lives are influenced by countless factors: genetics, coincidence, upbringing, health, our environment and the choices of other people. Not everything has one single cause. Not everything is within our control. And certainly not everything is a punishment.
Maybe karma asks a different question altogether.
Instead of asking, "Why did this happen to me?", perhaps it gently asks, "What will I do with what happened to me?"
That is where our freedom begins.
Another beautiful aspect of karma is that many spiritual traditions place great importance not only on our actions, but also on the intention behind them.
Two people can perform exactly the same act while being motivated by completely different reasons. One helps out of genuine compassion. Another helps only to gain admiration or recognition. Outwardly their actions look identical, but inwardly they are worlds apart.
Interestingly, psychology points in a similar direction. People are remarkably good at sensing authenticity. Genuine kindness tends to create deeper connections than kindness offered only for personal gain.
The opposite is equally true.
Sometimes we make mistakes. We choose the wrong words. We make decisions that later prove to be unwise. That doesn't automatically make us bad people. When our intentions were sincere and we are willing to learn, perhaps that too is part of karma—not as punishment, but as an invitation to grow.
Perhaps karma works more positively than we think
Maybe karma isn't only about difficult lessons.
Maybe it is also about the quiet ways goodness continues to grow.
Every smile you offer, every moment you truly listen, every act of kindness plants something. Sometimes you see the result immediately. Sometimes months or years later. Sometimes you may never know.
I experienced something like that myself.
When I was young, I looked out of my window and saw a boy preventing a group of teenagers from stealing my bicycle. Afterwards I walked outside to thank him.
His answer surprised me.
"Don't mention it," he said. "You were always the one who listened to me when everyone else ignored me. Now I finally had the chance to do something for you."
I had never expected anything in return.
In fact, I had almost forgotten those moments myself.
Perhaps that is the most beautiful form of karma.
Not because the universe was settling an old debt, but because a small act of kindness had quietly stayed alive in someone's heart until the moment it could bloom again.
Perhaps karma isn't so much a reward or a punishment, but a garden that invites us to keep planting every single day.
Not by constantly judging us for our past, but by gently inviting us to become aware of the intentions behind our words, our choices and our actions.
Imagine dropping a stone into a quiet pond. The stone creates ripples, but not every wave on the water comes from that single stone. The wind moves the surface. Fish swim beneath it. Rain begins to fall.
Life works much the same way.
Not everything has one cause.
And certainly not everything is punishment.
Perhaps this is where science and spirituality meet. Science explains how our choices shape our brains, our relationships and the people around us. Spirituality invites us to reflect on the deeper meaning behind those choices. Both encourage us to live more consciously.
What if karma isn't the universe's accountant, but its gardener?
A gardener doesn't reward.
A gardener doesn't punish.
A gardener simply helps whatever is planted to grow.
Plant kindness, and kindness is more likely to spread.
Plant trust, and trust has room to return.
And when you stumble, perhaps life isn't presenting you with a punishment for yesterday, but an opportunity to grow wiser tomorrow.
Perhaps the most beautiful gardens are not created by perfect people.
They are created by people who continue planting with sincerity.
Maybe that is the real question karma asks us.
Not:
"What do I deserve?"
But:
"What do I want to grow today?"
De Verhalenheks