Felon’s Alphabet: K is for Karma

Everyone knows the saying: Karma is a five-letter word that rhymes with itch. But is she really? Or are we just unhappy with the way the karmic tables have been turned? All of us here in prison have karmic debts to pay. Karmic comeuppance is a real thing. No matter how much we dislike the concept, it is true: what we dole out will invariably boomerang back.

“K” is for karma.

Webster’s Dictionary loosely defines karma as “fate.” Karma occurs when we quite literally get what we deserve. But then we are dissatisfied with the cards we are dealt. We believe we deserve better, when really, it all boils down to: “Was justice served?”

I often tell folks, “May you get the karma you deserve.” And I get two kinds of responses. One: borderline outrage, and questions pertaining to, “Are you cursing me?” The other, more common response is less reactive and more accepting; a simple “thank you, you too.”

Initially, I was taken aback, thinking, “Why would someone take an innocuous statement and read sinister motivations into it?” And then it dawned on me: not everyone is comfortable “receiving” the karma they deserve, probably because they’ve done bad, bad things.

After all, how many times have we thought, “So and so got the karma she deserved?” So, the question on the table is, how can we offset the bad karma we have incurred and convert it into good karma?

Unfortunately, there is no way to offset one’s karmic debt. The only way is to pay up. And for those of us in prison for crimes ranging from extortion to murder, the way we can fulfill our obligations is through living amends.

That’s where the concept of restorative justice begins. Restorative justice dictates that we restore and thereby at least attempt to fix the harms that we have caused. Restorative justice encapsulates healing instead of harming, building instead of blaming, and repair instead of revenge. And one of the most effective ways to do this is through the concept of living amends.

Examples of living amends include paying restitution, taking self-help groups that focus on victim impact, like Accountability Workshop and Restorative Education (A.W.A.R.E.), Beyond Incarceration, victim offender dialogue, and even surrogate offender dialogue. All of these groups go deep into both the immediate and long-term impact of crimes on not just our victims but also the ripple effects crime has on others such as family members, neighbors and even the community at large.

There are no karmic shortcuts. The good Lord is all-knowing, all-seeing, all-rewarding, all-giving, all-punishing, and lucky for us, all-forgiving.

So, it is vital that we comport ourselves with at the minimum, decency, and if possible, with compassion and integrity.