A review of one of my all time favorite films "Match Point" by Woody Allen. I wrote the following back in 2006, but how is it that thoughts on karma will never go out of style? I don't seem to get tired of it: in fact, I have written a lot of articles about karma, but this one might give you a slightly different viewpoint. Please continue reading when you have already seen the movie... And if you haven't, hurry up and get the DVD: IT'S AN ABSOLUTE MUST! You will think more than twice after it!
Doesn't the ending just want to make you scream your lungs out? It itches so much that you cannot handle it?
Yes indeed, we all admit that we have had enough of "happy endings" when it comes to films but this time, we actually want and need it badly! We are assured that our protagonist Chris Wilton will not only get caught for his lying, his infidelity, his games and especially for his mortal crime; but he will definitely get severely punished for all the reasons stated above. But the fact that he gets away with only a bad conscience just makes us want to shout "COME ON, THERE MUST BE JUSTICE IN THIS WORLD"!
"Match Point" has surely left me quite disoriented! After seeing this film, I questioned over and over again about the term KARMA. We perpetually say that we are going to pay for our crimes, that what we did wrong to others will come back to us one day or another (and it will definitely hurt when it strikes). But what if it's true that "awful" people like Chris Wilton are lucky and do get away with murder? They go to sleep at night and only have an insight of their misbehavior. Insomnia might hunt them but they do get to hop into a nice comfy bed. And I am sure that some are even worse than Chris Wilton: those whose thoughts don't even come close to the light of day! Some won't even realize how much damage they caused...
It suddenly got me to wonder: what if karma is just a concept that we long for so desperately simply to make ourselves feel "better"? Why are some searching for revenge and want the "other person" to feel an even greater pain than they do/did? Do we actually hope and wish for karma to happen? If that were the case: would we feel any bit relieved? Would we feel satisfaction?
First of all, I am one of those who can't wait for karma to strike really hard (and it should definitely hurt). I want people like Chris Wilton to suffer slowly and be utterly miserable! But wait, wait, wait a second...
Recently, the negative side of karma faded a tiny little bit in my head, and my way of seeing things became somewhat sober. Karma is the term we use as to finally having getting what we deserve and also learning something at a certain point in our lives; but what if we end up like Chris Wilton? Put yourself in his position: one who never learned and stays a total fool at the end of the day. One who knows consequences will eventually come but does nothing to deal with it. Isn't that more of a pity? I believe so. I reckon that it would be nobler to get karma, even wiser to be able to "create" our own karma; and that is by our means and not karma's (either way, it will hurt anyway); than to be patient and letting it happen one day or another, lingering on it. "Thank God!" that there's a minimum of justice in this world, but it is much better to finally go through karma immediately: once again, the results might bite us in the arse but karma got me convinced that it's a waste of time to wait for it! Why is karma a must to realize we've done wrong? Or why the wish for it to come into effect to one day have peace of mind? In other words, why can't we wake up on OUR OWN -- give karma a break so it can go on holiday -- instead of seeking for the "worst" to happen?
Indeed, it is greater to "provide" our own and shout: "yes, I deserve this shitty treatment!" We don't need the ultimate sign, we should be less of a coward: admit our mistakes, apologize and then try to make up for it! And we'll certainly be prouder of ourselves because we'd learn to be brave and responsible. And maybe karma wouldn't be such a bitch, it may only act that way because it gets impatient too.
Finally, what about wanting "the other person" to get his/her karma? It might be hard to grasp but this is what I've learned: I don't think we will feel more satisfied if "the other" will get punished. Hoping for his/her karma (and a karma that definitely hurts...) makes us even more immature than the one who committed the mistakes in the first place. Haven't we heard a dozen times that God taught us not to wish bad luck? The best thing to do is not to even think about karma, not even the slightest bit. And we won't even wish it, not even want it to happen. We're on top of that. If "the other" will get his karma or not, like we wished Chris Wilton would have in the course of the story, then it surely will not matter! What is relevant is how we sulk(ed) through our pain and the experience(s) we accumulated. And at the end, what will really matter is our OWN karma, not the ones of others. Just make sure yours doesn't bite you in the arse: be good, do good.
