"Why me?" we often lament as we face our measure of life's shocks and sufferings. We find ourselves wondering, "If I had behaved differently, would things have turned out differently?" Are we actually free to choose our actions? If not, how can we be held morally responsible for our actions? If God is responsible because He is omnipotent, then we have no choice but to take what we get, like it or not.
However, we humans believe our superiority lies in our ability to reason, choose appropriate behaviors, and take the responsibility for our actions. Even so, the choices that we are privileged to make are not unlimited. We make our choices according to our own environment, circumstances, and ability. If we are responsible for our lot in life, the key to the cause of many experiences is difficult to discern: Some projects turn out a failure after much thought and hard work, while others seem to succeed with little effort; still other life changing events come unexpectedly without any fore-thought. If there is a relationship between what we experience in life and our own prior actions and efforts, that connection often remains unseen.
Can the concepts of a predetermined destiny and the exercise of our free will be reconciled? This intriguing question has been the subject of intense debate among philosophers as well as theologians. Western philosophy generally assumes that human behavior has its origins in environ-mental and psychological causes, while the traditional religious thought holds the limited view that suffering is a punishment for evil. However, both theories have difficulty explaining: "Why bad things happen to good people." A theory of determined destiny fails to explain why each person has different experiences, unique talents, and seemingly unjust circumstances.
It was to solve the mystery of these apparent inequities and injustices that the sages of ancient India began their investigation into the cause and effect relationships in the human life. They reasoned that life has no rhyme nor reason if viewed only within the time span between the birth and death of the physical body. Carefully observing and dissecting the experiences of life, they discovered the law that governed the unseen factors the law of karma. This comprehensive theory applies to the physical world as well as to human behavior. When we realize that every cause must have an effect in all realms of the creation, we can begin observing how this law works in our everyday lives. Today is the effect of my actions, thoughts, and efforts of yesterday, and will be the cause for my tomorrow. Our activities are in keeping with our individual tendencies, talents, inclinations, and studies. What I think about today, I find myself doing tomorrow. To master a trade or profession takes definite effort, the results of which will be seen in the future. Since we see this continuity demonstrated in some segments of our lives, why negate this law on more universal terms. Why should the efforts made throughout the life, on the physical, mental, intellectual, and spiritual levels, end with the death of the physical body. Many Eastern philosophers have wondered why the Western religions have accepted the idea of a life after death, but have not considered feasible the existence of life before birth.
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