Pranic Healing Character Building Stories

The Critic Who Received Angry Criticism- A Story on Karma

Joji's* family was supposed to move back to their former house in October 2010. Her parents, Carmen* and  Reggie*, were to help each other in transferring things to the house and removing old clutter from the house (aside from the workers whose responsibility was to renovate it). Given this, the family would have moved on schedule. Apparently, the more people who do the work to make a house livable, the sooner the desired result is achieved.

However, the family didn't move in on their scheduled date. There were delays. The move kept getting postponed because Carmen was lazy. She didn't want to help; or she wanted to but didn't know exactly how. Either way, she was of no help to her husband at all.

Almost four months passed. Still, the house wasn't livable so the family couldn't move. One night, poor Reggie had to do the work alone. He ended up exhausted from going to and from the house and disappointed in his wife's selfishness. He also felt bad about Carmen's inability to help fix the house.

Joji heard about all that from her father. She was as disappointed as he was. She also got fed up with the delays. She felt like moving to the old house would be impossible.

The following morning, Joji sent a text to Carmen lambasting her for the condition of the house. On top of that, Joji reprimanded Carmen for not cooperating with Reggie. The text was full of swords and unkind, tactless criticisms, much to the irritation of Carmen. It read, "Hi Ma! Kawawa naman si Pop. Kagabi hindi siya nakatulog kasi lipat ng lipat ng items. (Poor Pop. Last night he could not sleep because he kept transferring items). He had to do all the work because you couldn't! You're not being of help to him! You're lazy! Why are you so lazy, Ma? No wonder until now we haven't moved yet! No wonder the move is months delayed. The Mango* house isn't livable. Kulang ng isang tao sa proseso to make the house livable. (There is one person missing from the process of making the house livable). My goodness! You can't fix a house! You're not helping! We can't move and it's all your fault!"

Carmen opened her phone, read the text, and felt equally hurt and upset. She sent a reply, which ended with words that were just as angry and hurtful. The reply read, " JOJI ANO BA ANG PROBLEMA MO? ALAM MO ANG KULIT-KULIT MO. KINUKULIT MO AKO TUNGKOL SA RENOVATION NG MANGO HINDI KO KAYA EH! (Joji what's your problem? You know you're so importunate! You're pestering me about the renovation of Mango. I can't do it!) Please respect that. Lauren* is fixing breakfast for me. I need to eat in peace! If you don't like how Mango is, then don't come. You don't even have to. I don't even have to invite you here. Now mind your own business! I have A MILLION OTHER THINGS TO DO. I HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO THAN ANSWERING TEXTS. PURO KA REKLAMO! BUWISIT KA! (You're always complaining. You're annoying.).

Later when Joji read that reply, she felt very sorry for injuring her mother like that. Joji herself felt injured. She realized that she sowed the seeds of harsh words; and that's why she reaped equally injurious words. Served her right.

Thankfully though, she learned her lesson. She decided that from then on, she would never criticize her mother's inability to help fix the house (or the house itself) again. Regardless of Joji's disappointment in Carmen and/or the house, Joji became more gentle about the house. She also tactfully reminded her mother to help her (Joji's) father.

The end.

Moral: What you sow, you reap. Karma, whether good or bad, is deserved because of the good/bad you have done.

*not their real names