November Meeting 2015

Our November meeting was brightened by the arrival of many new members, expanding the diversity of our Youth Wing more so than ever before, as Swami’s vision reaches out to young members so they can also infuse society with positive contributions.

Today’s focus was debating on spiritual topics, where the Youth Wing was split into 4 groups and within the groups, the members separated for and against the notion. The topic that instigated the most discussion was the idea of Karma, and whether it exists or not.

Karma means action, work or deed; it also refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect). Good intent and good deed contribute to good karma and future happiness, while bad intent and bad deed contribute to bad karma and future suffering. Essentially, many people see karma as what goes around comes around, if you “do good” to someone, that positive quality will be reciprocated back in the future.

While some members did believe in the concept of Karma, others did not. We debated that many people use the excuse of karma to take revenge on individuals, rather than letting nature take its course. Moreover they questioned why many people are suffering in third world countries, even though they did not commit any bad deeds.

The aim of the debate was to get the members involved and to voice their opinions, which would help new members interact and take part in out group discussions, so they can be more confident and make friends with the other members.