Right intentions and right actions

The universe functions with the idea of karma. Karma means that anything that we do has certain consequences, and also that we can do nothing to avoid these consequences. Sometimes, our intentions are good, but the consequences that we face because of our actions, are bad. How do we know that anything that we do is good or bad?

All of us have different perspectives, by that what I mean is that all of us see the world in a different ways. We might see the same things, the same trees, the same flowers, the same animals, but each of our opinions about everything that we see is different. For instance, the constellations we see in the sky at night, have certain names. The Ursa Major for example. It is a constellation that is named “The Great Bear”, but when you look at it, it looks nothing like a bear. So, back when this constellation was discovered, someone might have imagined it to be a bear, because it might have looked like a bear to them in some way, and hence the name was given.

The reason I emphasized the perspectives is that since we all have different viewpoints about even the same things, it is only logical that we all would consider different things to be right or wrong. That’s the reason for the opposition in the first place.

What are Intentions? Intentions are the things that we think should happen or what’s on our minds. What we think we should do or our ideals are our intentions. Some intentions might be good, and some might be bad, but it is our intentions that show what kind of personality we have as a being.

Our intentions influence our actions. Like intentions, actions also are good or bad, but they are only influenced by our intentions. In a way, our actions are like horses in a horse cart and our intentions are the harnesses that we use to control the horses and to go wherever we want to go.

We all know the story of Robin Hood, the one who used to steal from the rich and give it to the poor. Some people consider him to be a hero, and some people consider him to be a crook. As we had discussed sometime earlier about having balanced opinions, let’s consider both sides’ opinions and decide who’s correct and who’s wrong. Those people who consider him to be a hero, see that he is a kind and gentle man. Instead of keeping all his loot for himself, he decides to give it to the poor and the less fortunate. That’s what makes him a hero. And those people who consider him to be a crook, see that the source of the money is the loot from the rich that he is giving to the poor, and it is wrong to take someone else’s belongings and donate them to others in the name of charity.

Both sides have valid points, and both are correct in a way. In this society, some people aren’t as privileged as others. They need help to even get their basic survival needs. In this case, helping them is no bad deed. But that’s the whole point. Helping people is not bad, but the way someone acquires the resources to help others makes his deed bad or good. For example, there are many rich millionaires and billionaires all around the globe, who have established many non-profit organizations for the upliftment of the unfortunate. They are using their hard-earned money to do good to others; which is why I consider them to be correct over Robin Hood. He is using other people’s money to help the unfortunate, which is, according to me, the wrong deed. He could have found a better alternative for the same purpose if he wanted to, which would have been better in the long run without his questions.

Of course, if those people who have stolen from the poor, become rich, in their case, Robin’s actions would be correct, because he is simply giving back those things that the poor people have lost. But if we think about those people who have earned their fortune through hard work and have become rich, and if Robin steals and loots from them to give to the poor, then his actions would be incorrect.

What I mean by this example is that, if your intentions are good, like Robin, whose intentions were to help the poor; but your actions are bad, like Robin, who stole from the rich to give to the poor; then your deeds would be wrong. So, find a way not just to make your intentions, but also to make your actions right and beneficiary for the whole society, using your balanced opinion, to do good deeds. Don’t just be a good thinker, be a good thinker and a good doer.