By Jaclyn Lupo
It’s age-old knowledge that “what comes around, goes around”, and 2020 proves this saying to be true. Karma caught up to us, locked us in our houses, and forced us to stay 6 feet away from our favorite folks to keep safe. Seems unfair? Well, unfortunately, I believe we’ve set ourselves up for this fate.
Karma, which is derived from Hinduism and Buddhism, yet adapted in an individualized non-religious idea in modern culture is energetic cause and effect. Karma translates to “action”, so it means that your actions will be returned to you.
2020 came, presenting a battle that seemed impossible to win. From a dangerous pandemic to a chaotic political climate, it has been far from a peaceful year. The whole point of wanting to stay home all day was to relax, yet the world seemed to present so many reasons to not sleep at night. What does the universe want us to learn from this situation? Why has humanity been forced to stop moving and interacting for an extended period?
Here’s the thing: for years our society has been wishing to stay home, have nothing to do, and just be anti-social. We fantasized about days spent laying around watching Netflix, and our dream jobs required us to never leave the couch. Of course, we thought that was the perfect life until COVID-19 came around and forced us all into a quarantine situation.
The genie came and granted us our wishes. No wonder it’s constantly advised to never play with magic…
See, when we take things for granted the universe gets upset. Every single moment, every single relationship is so precious. Yet, generally, in the years leading up to 2020, we spent more time staring at screens than looking at faces. The whole point of living a human experience is to form memorable bonds with people, and choosing screentime instead of real face-time counteracted exactly what we were designed for.
In 2020 our karmic energies caught up to us. We took advantage of the physical world, so the universe shoved it right back at us with online school, work, and events. It forced us to make an effort to keep relationships thriving, and required us to learn how to balance our work and home lives since they were essentially lived in the same place. The universe needed humanity to get its act together, so it granted us 2020 to reconfigure how we would live.
Thanks to the innovative spirit of millennials and Gen Z, Karma truly couldn’t defeat us. No matter how hard it tried, we came back with new ways to stay afloat. Social media advancements made connecting easier than ever. Oh, and let’s not forget about that wonderful little app called Tik Tok.
No doubt Tik Tok saved 2020. It gave us an outlet to create and find humor when the world felt like it was going to end. It became a community of idea sharing and inspiration, which made quarantine more bearable. From educational resources to just pure fun dances, it was a place for every age and gender to escape the mayhem of reality. Not to ignore Snapchat and Instagram, but this platform is exclusive to 2020 with an emphasis on creating content.
Creation is the opposite of war. By prioritizing the creation of things, like art, relationships, and ideas, we can show the universe that we have learned our lessons. Tik Tok allowed just about everyone the ability to share whatever they had to offer.
In Western culture, conformist values attest to the more is more philosophy where everything is taken but very little is appreciated. For years we’ve spent too much time making sure we look perfect in our photos instead of raising a genuine compliment to the girl next door. We were so selfish for decades, and platforms like Facebook allowed us to rub our highlight reels in everyone’s faces. Instead of appreciating all that we had, we just wanted more. If she had the newest sunglasses and shoes, we’d be the first in line at the mall the next day. When someone went on a luxury vacation, we felt pressured to do the same. When are we going to realize we have everything we need within us? The universe probably won’t stop cursing us until we understand that lesson…
Let’s take a moment to reflect on our actions. Let’s try and understand how we can be better today so this karmic fuel of negativity runs out. Challenge yourself to go an hour a day screen-free. Text your friends some words of encouragement randomly. Create a video sharing something you learned that may help others. Give the gift of your presence to whomever you encounter, whether that be an online chat or a socially distanced meeting. Stop wishing for your life to be different, make the most of what you have right here, right now.
With Karma, there’s no telling when it will strike, or go away. Take control of your actions, and always remember that everything happens for a reason.
Jaclyn Lupo is an editorial writer passionate about fashion, sustainability and culture.