In our previous example, in the first case; what is ‘present’ for one body (Sirius) is ‘past’ for another (Earth), and in the second case, the ‘future’ for one object (Earth) is ‘present’ for the other (Sirius).
The time dilation principle, where the velocity of an object can slow down its flow of time, has been successfully tested and verified, proving Einstein’s Relativity Theory. With this, it can be said that the universe has a definite future as much as it has a definite past! And by the universe, we mean all the bodies inside it, from stars and galaxies to the subatomic particles.
This definite future for everything is what has been described as fate by Yogic and Siddha philosophies. The fate of all matter in the universe being fixed, the chaotic reality can be seen to balance itself in the long run and form a pattern or a design across reality! The existence of fate or the definite future has a severe implication in our daily lives, the (paradox of) free will.
If there is fate, then free will becomes an illusion. If at any point in time, we act and think thoughts based on an already existing future, then are we really making choices in our lives? Can choice and free will be mere illusions in the grand design? Or are choices and free will only illusions in the reality? Or is it possible for multiple fates to exist simultaneously? If choice and free will are indeed illusions, can we call ourselves “conscious” actors? Can we really assume that everything in our life is under our control?
If karma acts as fate right from the beginning of life until death (and even after death, as believed by spiritual philosophers), consciousness is reduced to a mere experience every living being goes through. Besides, however grand karma’s design may be, it must’ve had a beginning since we know karma acts as a balancing force on the fate of all living organisms. We have seen how karma works on living beings, depending on the organism’s level of consciousness. For organisms up to 5 senses, karma’s effect is minimal. Since they act from their subconscious instincts, most likely, they will not feel the pressing force of karma, consciously atleast.
In that case, karma could’ve most likely begun with the birth of eukaryotes, where through endosymbiosis a prokaryote merged with another prokaryote to form a well-defined cell! In any case, the process resulted in the birth of a eukaryotic cell at the cost of a prokaryote! So it is safe to say that karma had a beginning with single-cellular organisms and got branched out with evolution. Since karma is an on-going process with a beginning, there exists a possibility for its end too!
Right now in the present where we see a multitude of life forms evolving and having a conscious or subconscious experience on Earth, we can say that karma will meet its end when all life forms are finally extinguished on the planet.
