Karma and the LA Fires
We need to take action in our neighborhoods and in our hearts and minds
Across the internet, as the fires in Los Angeles rage on, people are revealing their judgement by claiming this destruction is because of Karma.
Known for its glitz and glamor, celebrities and product placements, superficiality and excess, Los Angeles is home to Hollywood—the foundation of the American film and television industry.
Anyone who has spent time in the City of Angels knows it is infinitely more diverse and dynamic than this narrow picture paints, but many around the world only know Los Angeles as the image they see on their screen of awards shows, movie stars, fancy clothes, and high budget film productions.
Watching the homes of movie stars burn has triggered a vicious response in many of the folks who only know the Hollywood version of Los Angeles and they’ve lashed out all over social media saying that this destruction is justified.
Why would anyone revel in such catastrophe placed upon another human being?
On the surface we see jealously, a classic case of the “haves” versus the “have nots,” and people experiencing a feeling of equilibrium: They had more (money, property, clothes, etc.) than me… So now we’re even. But below the surface, a deeper motivation rests in the psyches of those who experience joy in the face of another’s pain.
The claims of “karma” in response to the LA fires brings to mind videos of Israelis rejoicing as bombs drop over Palestine. Indeed, the same root cause is behind both.
How are we defining Karma and where does this definition come from?
Karma, most simply defined, is the principle of Cause and Effect. It is the notion that every action, thought, or intention has a consequence. If we are to take this definition at face value then, yes, the fires in Los Angeles are because of karma.
The cause of rising temperatures, poor land stewardship, and rampant mental health crises has us led to the effect of fires flattening multiple neighborhoods and decimating thousands of homes.
But that is not the kind of karma to which these internet commentators refer. If they believed in the above definition of karma, they would not be wasting their time sharing toxic opinions online; they would be out in their communities preparing for when disaster hits their neighborhood.
If our collective definition of Karma is not one of cause and effect, then what it is? And why do people believe in it?
If the real definition of karma is cause and effect then karma is math. Certain actions equal certain outcomes. Plain and simple. Nowhere in the math does it say wealthy people deserve to lose all their possessions. That is not math. That is morality. That is judgement. That is original sin ideology masquerading as karma.
This is what we collectively believe karma to be today: punishment and retribution.
Some state this plainly—that the LA fires are God’s judgement upon a land full of sin. Others say it in jest, throwing away comments on the internet because they are too terrified to consider the impending risks in their own environments.
That is what is at the bottom of all of this: fear of death and an inability to be present with that fear. People lash out, cheering on the destruction of others’ homes because they cannot bear to sit with the pain and anguish of the possibility of losing their own stability.
Desperate to remain safe in world of increasing chaos, they laugh in the face of others’ suffering. They do this because they have not accepted their own experience of suffering. They have pushed down, suffocated, and otherwise disassociated from their own internal pain.
To be alive, in a human body, is to live with pain and suffering. There is no escaping this. Attempting to escape suffering only heightens suffering in the world around us.
No one “deserves” to suffer, of course, but that is not the point. Suffering is inherent. It is not a matter of deserving. It is when we run away from this truth and create gods (or, ahem, God) to save us from suffering that we get into real trouble. It is when we weave myths that some people deserve suffering while others do not that we create the context for cataclysmic events like the one LA is experiencing right now.
Instead of casting judgement on anyone in this situation (yes, even the politicians and oil CEOs), we need to take action in our own homes and communities. How are we preparing for inevitable heat events? How are we protecting elders, the unhoused, and disabled people? How are we developing food and water sovereignty?
The more we shame and blame others, the less time and energy we have to focus on the change that is possible with our own two hands. Disrupting the systems that cause these disasters requires all of our efforts and none of our judgement.
That is not to say that we are not discerning. Nor it is to say that we don’t hold people accountable. It simply means that we focus our energy and efforts on the action steps required to build real stability instead of wasting our breath yelling at the ones doing the destabilizing.
Our power lies in our ability to change our own behavior. Karma will do what it does: play out. In the meantime, it is up to us to see the incoming effects and do our best to mitigate them. We cannot stop what is already unfolding, but we can put new causes into effect.
Remove the veil of judgement from your vision and see clearly the actions you need to take in yourself, your home, your neighborhood, and in the world. Or, as the internet commentators and religious pundits might say, Burn away your “karma” now or Mother Earth will do it for you.