The Law of Karma

The past Saturday was my B-day. After a wonderful dinner with some friends at the Twin Dragons on Pico, we retreated to our place to have another round of beers.

The weather was extremely hot that day, so we settled in our backyard which has just been re-landscaped two weeks ago. Our 6 years old Shih-Tzu was also let out to play in the yard and because of his presence, our topic was soon shifted from Obama vs. McCain to dogs.

Then, my friend John told us a little story.

Years ago when he and his wife Cara were living in the NoHo area, they found three newborn puppies dumped on the their front lawn one day. Until then they have never thought of becoming dog owners, but the sight of these helpless puppies changed their mind. They took one in for themselves while finding the other two reliable homes through friends and relatives. They named the dog Buster.

When Buster grew into a full-sized dog, John and Cara were ready to leave NoHo for west LA. They still wanted to rent as John was afraid of being tied up by a mortgage. But they soon concluded that because of Buster, they were better off buying than renting. Few landlords allowed dogs and even if they did, they hiked the rent to such a level that it easily exceeded the normal mortgage payment.

So John and Cara scraped every penny they had and purchased a fixer in the westside. Not before long and all of sudden, the housing boom began and their home value skyrocketed. Even after the recent credit crunch and market corrections, because of its location, their home was still priced at the level that was way more than what they paid for. This was the single best investment they've ever made and John gave Buster the full credit.

When I first heard the story, I didn't think much. Then the next day while I was driving on the freeway, a thought came in my mind. The relation between Buster and John and Cara's home equity suddenly became clear. Wasn't it karma? They saved a dog and the dog in return rewarded them with financial security. Maybe it is true that all of our actions will bring consequences - sooner or later and only a matter of time. Moreover, it also reaffirms the law of paradox. 塞翁失马，焉知祸福 (sai weng shi ma, yan zhi huo fu). Behind bad luck comes good luck. Misfortune might be a blessing in disguise.