Similar to existentialism,karma is one of those overused, but rarely understood words. Words that people use to make themselves seem more interesting at cocktail parties, or trying to seal the deal at last call. Not that I care if people use words they don't understand or fully understand, as is more often the case. Nor do I care when they misuse them, or for what purpose, as noble or ignoble that purpose may be. But yesterday I really cared about the word "karma" because it related to me.
Listen, karma isn't fate, predestination, or anything of their ilk. There isn't a karmic ledger out there with good action to be randomly rewarded on one side and bad actions to be punished in the same fashion on the other. Instead karma requires intent on the behalf of the actor,and the rewards or punishment are a direct result of that intentional action; i.e.,karma is cause and effect.
For instance, if you sleep with another man's wife, it doesn't mean that by some random cosmic justice for wrongdoers you will get blasted in the face by the side mirror of a bus while waiting to cross the street on the way to work. That's not karma. On the other hand, it's karma if the bus driver happens to be the husband of said wife, he found out, and set about caving in the entire side of your skull with his side mirror. In other words, if you plant a sycamore seed, you get a sycamore. If you plant an apple seed, you get an apple tree. If you plant shit, back away from the curb on the way to work. Put another way, it's not like you plant a sycamore seed and get a Bonsai tree. All of the effects are a direct result of your actions. So you want to make wholesome decisions as opposed to unwholesome decisions. Wholesome cause wholesome result; unwholesome cause, unwholesome result. Smart decisions as opposed to dumb ones; favorable results as opposed to unfavorable results. This is something that's on full display for Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys, and their fans.
The NFL Draft of 2004 presented Jerry Jones with the fortuitous opportunity of drafting Steven Jackson, who by all accounts was far and away the best running back in the draft. Not only did he have the size (6'2" 235lbs) and speed (4.42 at the combine), but he also proved to be durable by never missing a start. Inexplicably, Jerry Jones thought it somehow a good idea to pass over Steven Jackson and draft Julius Jones instead. Jones was of average size (5'10 208lbs) and average speed (4.49 over 40 yards). Not only that, but he also missed an entire season for a combination of off the field issues and academics.
This ill-conceived decision yielded a predictable result on Sunday. Yesterday saw Steven Jackson rush for 160 yards and 3 TD's on my beloved Dallas Cowboys. Not only that, but, prior to the game, Steven Jackson said that he was looking forward to playing against Dallas. It seems he wasn't all that thrilled to be passed over. You see, his favorite team was the Dallas Cowboys and he'd been given assurances that, if he was available, they would draft him. He was, and they didn't. Hey, plant a mango seed, get a mango tree. Plant shit; hey Jerry, move back from the curb. I ain't making it up.
Incidentally, there's a discussion to be had here about Jerry Jones passing over Randy Moss and now being saddled with the salaries of both T.O. and Roy Williams. But this post is longer than I anticipated and I have shit to do.
Oh, one more thing. If you're looking for a more comprehensive and nuanced discussion of karma you'll need to do some research. Or don't. I don't care.
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1 comment:
Absolutely! Very well written, too.
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