I don’t believe in God, or the afterlife, but I do believe in being a good person. As far as I’m concerned, the consequences of our good and bad intentions unfold in this life, and what lies beyond death plays no part in how we lived our lives today. That’s what I think. I sure as hell don’t like the idea of following a bunch of rules in the hopes to earn my room in heaven, if there is such a thing. I guess if I believed in any superstition, it would be karma. To me it makes sense. Do good things and good things happen. Do bad things, and bad things happen. So, how can we become good people? Start doing good things.
What Goes Around Comes Around
I’m currently watching My Name is Earl… again. Not only is it one of my favourite TV shows, Earl Hickey being one of my favourite ever characters, and set in desert town America, but it has a beautiful message. Earl Hickey gets hit by a car right after winning $100,000 on a lotto scratch card. He discovers karma while watching Carlson Daily on TV in hospital, and then designs a list of all the bad things he’s done. ‘It’s my roadmap to a better life,’ he tells his brother Randy. The entire show is about Earl and Randy atoning the mistakes of their past, and in turn, making lives better. These go from simply recycling litter, to being nicer to their neighbours, to the more extreme such as recovering an old man’s RV and replacing all his possessions that blew up inside, and even prepping a funeral for man who Earl accidentely locked inside a delivery truck. The point is that Earl used to be a thief. His life sucked, and now with his list, he can become a better man.
Sadly, My Name is Earl never got an ending. NBC cancelled it after four seasons leaving the show on a giant cliffhanger. Greg Garcia, the show’s creator, said that the intended idea for an ending was Earl never finishing his list. He’d stumble on someone with a list of their own, and when asked how he thought of the list, the guy would say he got the idea from someone else with a list who got the idea off another guy with a list. Earl would then realise he had started a chain reaction of people making lists. Earl would tear up his list and walk away a free man with good karma knowing he’d put more good in the world than bad. It’s such a bummer NBC never reinstated it for one last series. I’d kill for it. Despite that, Earl Hickey has always stayed with me. I love that he’s just your average joe, a loser skirting the fringe of life just getting by with his own destiny. I’m certain there are other guys out there with their own lists, and that’s awesome. Making someone smile, for whatever reason, is always the best thing, and ticking off list items to become a better person isn’t a bad way to live your life.
Sadly, My Name is Earl never got an ending. NBC cancelled it after four seasons leaving the show on a giant cliffhanger. Greg Garcia, the show’s creator, said that the intended idea for an ending was Earl never finishing his list. He’d stumble on someone with a list of their own, and when asked how he thought of the list, the guy would say he got the idea from someone else with a list who got the idea off another guy with a list. Earl would then realise he had started a chain reaction of people making lists. Earl would tear up his list and walk away a free man with good karma knowing he’d put more good in the world than bad. It’s such a bummer NBC never reinstated it for one last series. I’d kill for it. Despite that, Earl Hickey has always stayed with me. I love that he’s just your average joe, a loser skirting the fringe of life just getting by with his own destiny. I’m certain there are other guys out there with their own lists, and that’s awesome. Making someone smile, for whatever reason, is always the best thing, and ticking off list items to become a better person isn’t a bad way to live your life.
Help is on the Way
One of my New Year Resolutions was to be a nicer person, which may as well be a better person, too. This is something I think nobody should ever have to cross off their list, because once you cross it off, it sort of implies you can stop being a nice person. People should never stop trying to improve in anything. Hard work and dedication see you through, and once you stop, you’ve had it. I believe in karma, but more in the sense of how it affects people in this life, as opposed to how it determines where we end up in the afterlife. I’m not that clued up in the spiritual definitions of karma, I just stick to its barebones meaning: do good things and good things happen, likewise with the bad. I believe that if we treat a person well, then they're apt to do the same, and to others. I certainly don’t think that if I treat someone bad then I’m going to die next time I cross the road. That can happen at any time. Things don’t just happen for a reason, they just happen. In which case, maybe my belief in karma is flawed. I just believe that the way we treat others says a lot about who we are, and we ought to try harder.
Fate and faith has always troubled me. The idea of ‘things happenning for a reason’ scares the hell out of me, and I don’t like the idea that all control in my life is gone. I don’t think there are bigger plans waiting for us. However, if there are plans waiting, then that’s fine. I’ll look incredibly stupid, but that’ll be OK. Karma sure isn’t a bad way to look at things. It’s a healthy outlook, and it’s always appreciated when someone takes a little time of their day to do good things for you, no matter how small. You never know who could be hurting out there and may need a kind word to bring about a new smile. Maybe you, like Earl, already have a list. If not on paper, then maybe in your mind. I know I do, but I don’t know when I’ll ever see to right the mistakes I’ve made. Maybe tomorrow.
Songs of the Week:
Fate and faith has always troubled me. The idea of ‘things happenning for a reason’ scares the hell out of me, and I don’t like the idea that all control in my life is gone. I don’t think there are bigger plans waiting for us. However, if there are plans waiting, then that’s fine. I’ll look incredibly stupid, but that’ll be OK. Karma sure isn’t a bad way to look at things. It’s a healthy outlook, and it’s always appreciated when someone takes a little time of their day to do good things for you, no matter how small. You never know who could be hurting out there and may need a kind word to bring about a new smile. Maybe you, like Earl, already have a list. If not on paper, then maybe in your mind. I know I do, but I don’t know when I’ll ever see to right the mistakes I’ve made. Maybe tomorrow.
Songs of the Week:
- 'The One Thing Needful' by Anaal Nathrakh
- 'Fortunate Son' by Creedance Clearwater Revival
- 'Sparks Fly' by Taylor Swift
- 'Never Grow Up' by Taylor Swift
- 'Follow in Flight' by Halo 2 Anniversary Soundtrack
- 'Breaking the Covenant' by Halo 2 Anniversary Soundtrack
- 'Punishment' by Halo 2 Anniversary Soundtrack
- 'Reunion' by M83
- 'Midnight City' by M83
- 'Too Much of a Good Thing' by The Sons ft. Brett Reilly