Actions

One day, at a family event, I saw a man who worked at a senior level in the same company as I did. Out of simple curiosity, I introduced myself through a mutual friend. He took me to the side and said, without hesitation, “I have no interest in building any new relationship. Please do not contact me for any personal favours.”

In that moment, two things became clear about him: he had no intention of helping anyone professionally, and he carried a heavy weight of ego and arrogance.

Life keeps shifting our roles. Sometimes we are the ones with power; sometimes we are the ones seeking help. If you observe closely, every one of us asks for something at some point—from people, from society, from circumstances. And when we cannot get what we want from anyone, we fold our hands and turn to God. So, is asking really wrong?

If not, then why is it that when we see a beggar asking for food or money, we judge him instantly? We tell him to earn and spend, or we refuse, assuming he will misuse the money.

When we ask from God, does God judge us?

The answer is no. If God were to ask how we would spend the money given to us, many of us would not receive it, knowing that we might misuse it. In the same way, if God observed us misbehaving with others, He would never entrust us with roles such as being a father, a mother, a sister, or a brother.

Then why do we attach so much pride to what we possess?

What we have today such wealth, health, relations, career, intelligence, compassion, courage, anger, fear, etc., is it really ours or given to us?

None of this truly belongs to us. We receive things from Nature based on merits—the merits we have earned through actions in the past. These things will stay with us in future if we continue to earn them.

Every time we face a situation, only two choices stand before us: yes or no. And whichever choice we make shapes our future in two significant ways.

First, it affects our inner self—our soul.
Every action, every decision, creates an imprint on our character. Someone who smokes and fails to quit despite many attempts slowly forms the identity of an uncontrollable addict. That imprint may last a lifetime, and sometimes even more than one. In the next lifetime, that person can easily become an addict since he already has that behaviour.

Second, it adds to our karmic balance.
Karma is not mysterious—Karma is nothing but an action where a person does something for which he does not get anything in return. The simple example is charity — you give money and in return you don’t get anything tangible.

If we do not contribute our wealth back to the society from which we gained it, if we do not respect the relationships we have, and if we do not put in honest efforts in our careers, we may lose these things in the future. We may have received them because of our past actions, but continued possession depends on what we do now. When our present actions lack responsibility and gratitude, we may no longer truly deserve what we hold.

The same principle applies within us. Anger, fear, and emotional struggles are not punishments; they are lessons. When we acknowledge these issues and work on them today, it becomes a spiritual effort. By overcoming these challenges, we rise above our inner hurdles, allowing the soul to learn and evolve.

These learnings do not end with this life. What the soul understands through conscious effort—discipline, patience, compassion, and self-awareness—is carried forward across lifetimes as growth and maturity.

So think again: what should that man have done? Because just like him, every one of us is caught in a web of daily actions that either free us or bind us. We humans are experts at complicating what is simple.

A manager may hurt a colleague with harsh behaviour.
A son may disrespect his father.
A husband may act selfishly.
A person may fall into gambling or addiction.

At every moment, life gives us only two options: yes or no.

Imagine a situation where you are hungry and have a piece of bread. Just as you are about to eat it, another person arrives—someone who is far hungrier than you and far more in need. What would you choose to do: eat the bread yourself, or share it with him?

Whichever choice you make becomes part of your character. It shapes who you become, and it adds to your karmic balance.

Every action we take becomes a thread.
Slowly and silently, we weave a web around ourselves—our karmic web.
If the threads are made of compassion, truth, and selflessness, that web becomes a support.
But if they are made of anger, ego, and negativity, then even God cannot save us from what we have woven ourselves.

Building positive actions is not easy. It requires awareness. It requires effort. Today, we live in a world where even a simple call from a sales executive is not welcomed. In such moments, keeping ourselves calm, showing compassion, and holding love for every being in this universe becomes essential.

We must strive to help others because our time here is short. And if Nature has placed us in a position where we have the ability to give, then we must honour that role. And if we cannot help, then at least we must not hurt—because words can scar the inner self for lifetimes. And if we misuse the role of a giver, Nature may place us in the role of a seeker in the future.

The choice is always yours.