Kaleidoscopic Karma

Do, or do not. There is no 'try'!

Yoda's wisdom is unmatchable. Often, we fail to notice how many times in a day we shield our incompetence with the word 'try'. This word is our tribute to the saying, "it's the thought that counts." But is that true? Is the thought enough? For that matter, is 'try' enough?

As part of our moral science lessons, we were taught, "try try again, and one day you will succeed!" However, success is not a product of trying; Rather, it is a result of doing. I believe neither the thought, nor the try, are sufficient. They are a mockery of our true potential and just hinder our progress. We deliberately choose to live in the blurry middle instead of clarifying our true intent and moving to a side. We must do something or we must not. There should not be room to say, "I tried to do it and my thoughts were in the right spirit."

I think back to high-school physics. When learning about the concept of work( Work = Fx), our teacher emphasized that in order for work to be non-zero, there MUST be displacement. So, if there is infinite force, but no displacement, no work is done. Perhaps this definition translates into real life. 'Trying' is like applying infinite force with no displacement. The end result of both is zero. Nothing lost, but nothing accomplished either.

Karma, or action is emphasized in every major philosophy. Simply put, it's the law of cause and effect. However, not all karma leads to good results. Therefore, I'm advocating kaleidoscopic karma: Action that is rapidly changing. A kaleidoscope is an instrument built with a series of mirrors that reflect a constantly changing pattern. Our actions should resemble this. They should be directed in an effect to change something. If the change isn't reflected, the course of action must be altered.

The kaleidoscopic method was also employed by Faulkner in writing A Rose for Emily. His story follows a sequential path in which one object or action triggers the next scene. It's about time I focus on my kaleidoscopic karma. One action must lead to a better action. Eventually, this cascade of actions should help me achieve my end goal. At any point if I feel that the path is leading to nowhere, it is only wise to abandon and begin on a different path. But what if it's not the path, not my actions, but the goal that seems unattainable? To this I'll quote from Star Wars again.

Luke: I can't believe it.
Yoda: That is why you fail.

So, one must do and believe. That leads to success. But isn't belief a thought? While a thought might not be sufficient, it is a precursor to action. I will explore the concept of force again. Physics describes a static condition(velocity and displacement are both zero) and a dynamic condition(motion). Thought is like the force applied in the static phase. And the static phase must precede the dynamic phase. The dynamic phase resembles action during which work is being done. So, it's not really the thought that counts. It's the action, especially one that changes your thoughts and leads to better actions.

So I will (try to) commit to kaleidoscopic karma: Indulge in actions with a cause and discard the other ones. I will (try to) believe that my goal is attainable. I will (try to) follow Yoda.

May the force be with (me and) you!