Turns Out Karma’s Not a Woman

[I use metaphors to keep myself sane. I wrote this to help myself continue to keep walking forward. Maybe it will help you too.]

We’ve always been told that karma is a bitch. Who knew it was a man? Imagine if you will (please insert Rod Serling voice here) a country where many of its people have villainized a much smaller (I’m going to call it a country) country where a terrorist group was in charge. People in the larger country were outraged at the small country’s behaviors, and rightly so. This group bombed, kidnapped, and yes, terrorized others in an adjacent land. It wasn’t, however, quite as straightforward as it sounds. Many members of its populace had been harassed, and terrorized, in ways large and small by the adjacent land. Many people in the larger country felt no compassion for the smaller country. They said the people chose their leaders. They must have been bad people to be willing to do this. It was all their fault. They had to pay the price. It did not matter to many in the the larger country that many members of the smaller country had not and did not support their terrorist leaders. It did not matter to them that some of those who did support them only did so because they felt so helpless. Then many of those who lived in the larger country began to feel helpless too. The conditions in their country became intolerable for many. A few individuals at the top began to terrorize much of the populace. They didn’t use bombs. They used wealth. They wielded healthcare like a carrot most were only permitted to nibble. People died. People lost hope. Many of them were convinced they had found a savior. That savior was a buddy, a good buddy, of those at the top. He too was greedy. He too seemed not to care about the wellbeing of those outside of their small group. The small group fanned derision between those who had chosen this leader, some because they felt hopeless, others perhaps they dreamed of feeling part of that small elite group if only by association. Once he had power he continued to hurt people, but because he didn’t bomb them or use guns, even the good people were confused about how to hold him accountable. He sliced and diced protocols and traditions that though imperfect attempted to protect the vulnerable. He marched forward wearing the banner of the elites attempting to crush all the grapes of wealth, desiring to crush all resources and assets in the big country into an elixir reserved only for those at the top. He wasn’t willing to stop there. Thirstily he reached for the grapes in other countries too. A wizard in the big country roamed the land with his staff urging the people to not become despondent, to not give up hope, to resist. The comedians and a small squad of lawmakers became the voices of reason. This story isn’t over. We do not yet know if it has a Hollywood arc. We must listen to the wizard. We must remember that this is an interactive story. We must not sit silently watching the screen. We must remember we are more than audience members. We must not allow ourselves to be distracted by the concessions sold to both placate and rob us.

Cinse Bonino
2025