‘Everyday’ Intelligence: Karma and The Third Law of Motion

Link to podcast to follow

“When a first body exerts a force F₁ on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force F₂ = −F₁ on the first body. This means that F₁ and F₂ are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.” the Third Law of Motion, Isaac Newton.

We have all, at some point of our lives, realised that ‘what goes around comes back around’ sooner or later.

Many authors have written on the above subject, referring to ‘karma’- a Hindu concept that is nowadays associated with mystery, destiny, fate, etc.

A fair amount of people believe that their ‘aura’ (presence) is directly influenced by their actions- it can, thus, be negative or positive, depending on what you do.

The more negative your aura gets, the more horrible things tend to happen to you.

I have, however, chosen a different way of looking at the above; a way which, in my view, at least, tends to be a bit more logical.

To begin with, I don’t see karma as anything mystical; mainly because it operates on established law of physics- the third law of motion.

To paraphrase (and somewhat simplify) the law: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Even though the above might sound shockingly simple to you, I can assure you that it is quite a logical conclusion to reach.

Some of you might disagree and say that Newton’s laws are about forces and not actions; let us explore that in some detail.

Let’s say you decide to say something horrible about someone behind his back, in an attempt to sully (dramatic, I know) his good name and destroy his reputation.

Many would say that some people would do the above without thinking twice about it; I beg to differ.

In order to take such a decision, a human being, however ‘horrible’ and ‘demented’ he might be, must exercise a very important force- his willpower.

As humans, we have certain principles and morals (even on a subconscious level) that we find quite difficult to neglect.

In a situation where it is essential for us to do so, however, we are often able to override the said principles and morals if we apply enough willpower.

Regardless of the viewpoint, a human being’s willpower is a considerable force, albeit on a mental rather than physical level.

The laws of physics, then, dictate that every application of willpower will lead to the emergence of an external force which is as powerful and opposite in direction (id est, towards you).

To use the above example, the moment you say something bad about someone behind his back, someone else will say something bad behind yours as well.

The above, of course, works both ways; if you do something good for someone, another person will do something good for you.

To conclude on a less serious note (it being a Friday and all),

Why be silly

And act on emotion,

When you can embrace

The third law of motion?