KARMA

Most societies have some concept of karma, where a person's actions influence what happens to that person in the future. "As you sow, so you reap" and "what goes around, comes around" are two examples in English.

I was exposed to it on my recent trip to England. When you get to Luton Airport railway station, you have to take a shuttle bus up to the airport, which costs £1.60. A French guy was running late for his plane, and had no cash, so I did a deal with him. I paid for his bus ticket, if he would send an sms on his phone on my behalf. The battery had run dead on my telephone (I had my charger with me, but the U.K. has different plug sockets from the rest of the world, so I couldn't use it!), and it was very important that I gave the number of my new passport to my colleague in Denmark. I had tried to do that from a public telephone in Victoria Station, but that did not take a credit card and ate coins like crazy, so I had been cut off mid-sentence.  

An sms doesn't cost £1.60, so I had some good karma in my bank account. Which I duly cashed in the next day. On my way back through Copenhagen, and rushing to get a train, I found that I needed to pee. Unfortunately, the loo at the main railway station cost kr.5; even more unfortunately, the two machines at the entrance which took a credit card were both broken and I had no coins. On discovering this, I harrumphed rather loudly. At which point a lady coming out of the loo voluntarily, and without prompting, gave me a kr.5 coin.

If I wasn't before, I am now a firm believer in karma.

Walter Blotscher