Theos-Talk Archives (April 1997 Message tl00114)

Thoa wrote (quoting me):

>  >I also feel that sexual promiscuity is a behavior that
>  >transcends races. However, I feel that humanity as a whole has a group 
> karma
>  >and the AIDS epidemic may be a karmic effect of all of the manic coupling
>  >that had been going on and is tending to correct the situation by
reducing
>  >the number of purely lust-driven unions occuring (not by the illness and
>  >death of those suffering from AIDS, but by the overall reduction in
>  >"thoughtless" sex and promiscuity.) I don't mean this statement to
indicate
>  >any lack of compassion on my part or to make judgements about the karma
of
>  >individual AIDS victims, BTW. I'm speaking only of humanity as a whole
and
>  >group karma. Nor do I mean "punishment" by "karma", but simply "cause and
>  >effect".

then said:
  
>  What about the hemophiliacs, people with blood transfusions, etc.  What is
>  the meaning of karma to them?  What is their lesson?  I know you're saying
>  group karma.  But if you are going to say that lustful sex causes AIDS,
>  then you have to say that having a blood transfusion causes AIDS.  If we
>  shouldn't have lustful sex because of AIDS, then we shouldn't have blood
>  transfusions.

Thoa, I *do* feel that you misunderstood what I said here. I apparently was
not clear enough about what I meant. My point had nothing to do with the
individual karma of anyone suffering from AIDS, regardless of how it was
contracted. How can you ask me about karmic lessons for hemophiliacs and
other AIDS patients who contracted it from transfusions when I *explicitly*
said I was speaking *only* of humanity as a whole? And, when you even
acknowledge that I was speaking of group karma? If these individuals are part
of humanity, wouldn't it be logical to assume that they are affected by the
group karma of humanity? The individual karma of anyone suffering from AIDS,
again regardless of how contracted, is a totally separate issue, IMHO.

Secondly, I didn't intend to imply that lusty sex *causes* AIDs. What I truly
meant was that promiscuous sex has caused the AIDS epidemic because it spread
the HIV virus, which causes AIDS, far and wide. 

Any disease, IMHO, probably has underlying karmic causes that could have even
originated in earlier incarnations. I don't see how those who've been
infected by HIV via blood transfusions would be different than sufferers of
any other disease or injury in this regard. Also, any widespread disease,
such as heart disease, could have underlying karmic causes relating to
humanity's group karma or the karma of the group of souls to which the
individual sufferer belongs.

However, having said that, I was speaking purely of the fact that a
significant portion of humanity was having lustful sex (which, by
implication, widely spread the HIV virus and thus caused the epidemic) and
that the AIDS epidemic has forced a large significant portion of humanity to
abstain from promiscuous sex. Humanity as a *group* is experiencing the
results of the epidemic just as it will eventually experience the results of
the return to relative chastity(?), IMHO.

Karma is the Law of Cause and Effect. In "Esoteric Healing", the Tibetan said
that the Law of Retribution (what we conceive of as punishment or lessons) is
only one aspect of the Law of Karma. A big problem, IMHO, that arises from
discussing things like group karma (which I guess I shouldn't have brought up
no matter how carefully I tried to word it) is that it is so impersonal in
its nature and operation. And because of this impersonality and its subtlty
with the fact that as individuals we have no control over it, our minds rebel
at the concept which threatens our very sense of having free will. So,
regardless of whether the karma of those who've tragically contracted AIDS
via blood transfusions is group karma or individual karma, I certainly wasn't
suggesting that humanity abstain from blood transfusions. If the blood supply
was really dangerous, then that could be reasonably considered. But, with a
currently safer blood supply, I can't see drawing a parallel between lusty
sex and blood transfusions.

So, now having waded into deeper waters than I ever intended with my comments
about AIDS, lusty sex, and group karma, I'm going to end this right here
while I'm behind. ;-D

Lynn