Talk:Objections to the Doctrine of Karm and Responses:Human Progress and Predestination

By Vishal Agarwal

Objection: “Another objection put forth is that we can change many of the things considered as predestined through our present efforts; that ill health, short life, dull-wittedness, poverty, and other things which are accredited to the effects of past birth can now be mostly checked, improved or even stopped altogether by improved health conditions, by distribution of wealth or by proper disciplinary education. Medical science assures us longevity through transplants; welfare states and communist countries will not allow anyone to die of poverty, and every given nation has special considerations regarding food, health, the improvement of economic conditions, and the standard of living. Birth can be checked and even stopped through contraceptives and family planning methods, but on the other hand, intentional actions of only a few people could efface all humanity from this planet. How then, can the karm theory stand these contradictions?”

Response: Scientific advancements have altered our lives tremendously and irreversibly, but have they altered the basic result of Karm, which is the joys and sorrows we experience in our minds?

With changing times, human beings can experience the same happiness or pain, or avoid them, in different ways. For example, in ancient times when life expectancy was lower, people had more children and married earlier. In modern times, where medical advancements have increased life expectancy and decreased infant mortality, people marry later and have fewer children. Yet, the emotional impact of loss remains. A couple several centuries ago who lost 3 out of 10 children may have felt the same or even less grief than a modern couple who loses their only child or one of two children.

Similarly, though the internet allows us to send dozens of digital greeting cards to acquaintances, the joy of receiving even a few handwritten birthday cards in the past often outweighed this. What has changed is the medium and context, not the underlying experience of happiness or sorrow. Thus, the operation of Karm remains intact, even if its visible manifestations evolve across eras.