A person I know was upset today because their supervisor at their job was disciplining them on their performance.  They were angry.  They felt they were being wronged.  They could not understand why they were being picked on.  They repeatedly shifted the blame for their misfortunes onto their supervisor.  I listened patiently, as one who really has no influence in such a situation can.

After coming home, I thought about them.  This person is intelligent.  This person also thinks very highly of themselves.  Although my knowledge of them is superficial, I see they are short tempered.  I see they get into small power struggles with others.  If they feel their way is correct, they will try and impose their views on others around them.

The more we try to control, the more resistance we meet.  This resistance isn’t necessarily related directly to the efforts of control.  Tao is a strong current that surrounds us.  The waves we create can return to us from different directions.

If I force myself in one manner, I can fully expect a reaction in the fabric of life.  Happy people make other people happy.  Depressed people darken the moods of those around them.  In like manner, angry people are met with equal passions.  The web of interpersonal chain reactions is complex.

The Christians call it the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Wiccans call it The Rule of Three: what you do comes back to you threefold.  The concept is universal.  Those who believe in Karma understand that your actions create your experiences, making you fully responsible for both the good and the bad in your life.

Everyone is familiar with Newton’s Third Law of Motion, summarized as “every action has an equal and opposite reaction”.  Sometimes we don’t consider that small actions still create small reactions.  You don’t have to be a bad person to have bad things happen to you.  Also consider that intent may not be a factor.  Careless actions can have unwanted results.  Who hasn’t heard “no good deed goes unpunished”?  Even forcing your will with the best intentions can result in adverse consequences.

I would not argue that everyone deserves the things that happen to them.  However, I do believe everything that happens to us is a direct result of our choices.  Again, a saying we have all heard, “He was at the wrong place at the wrong time” comes to mind.

The concept of deserving is based on value judgements.  Energy does not make value judgements.  There is not good electricity and evil electricity.

Of course, most people, myself included, want more good things in life than bad things.  This means we will make choices based on what we want to experience in life.  To this end, we have to understand every choice we make is important.  How we treat every other thing in our life affects how things treat us.  For example: Give selflessly, without motive.  You don’t need recognition.  You don’t expect favor.  You don’t wish to make changes based on your value judgements.

My advice to the one who inspired this train of thought:  “Live and let live” and “less is more”.