If you haven't seen this movie, you really should. It's brilliant. It's often considered the greatest Christmas movie of all time. I'm not going to recount the entire synopsis here but here are some key points. George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) has spent his entire life sacrificing his dreams and his wants for the dreams and wants of others. He does this not because he's some altruistic, unrealistic saint. He does it because he's a good person and those close to him need help.
The antagonist is Old Man Potter, a banker who is motivated solely by self-interest. He is the antithesis of George in almost every conceivable way. Oh, and they're business rivals, btw.
Anyway, George's uncle accidently misplaced the business's $8,000 while on his way to deposit it. Potter finds it and keeps it from the uncle. Because of this, George's business is going to go bankrupt. George is in such distress, he wishes he'd never been born. Then the main part of the movie happens where we see what life would've been like for the town & George's family if he'd never been born, yada, yada, yada.
Skip to the end. After George has his vision, he goes back home and is so happy to be alive. Then someone wonderful happens. When the people of the town found out that George was in trouble, they all flocked to his home to give him money so that his business wouldn't go under. He even gets a telegram from an old friend in London who's going to send him twenty-five thousand dollars. Towards the end of the commotion, George's brother comes in and makes a toast, "A toast to my big brother George: The richest man in town."
What happened to George illustrates my belief in karma. George was a good person. He helped everyone he knew and he was kind to them in their time of need. When there came a time when he himself needed help, people were more than willing to come to his aid. This is what I mean by karma. When you are kind to people and help them when they need help, they will always remember that so when the time comes you need help, they will come running. If you are unkind, selfish, and take advantage of others, no one is going to be there for you when you need help.
This point is also illustrated in Doctor Who. In the last episode of series six, "The Wedding of River Song," the Doctor is going to die. Without giving away too many details, River Song explains something to him:
"I've been sending out a message. A distress call. Outside the bubble of our time. The universe is still turning and I've sent a message everywhere. To the future and the past, the beginning and the end of everything. 'The Doctor is dying. Please, please help.' Those reports of the sun spots and the solar flares. They're wrong. They're aren't any. It's not the sun. It's you. The sky is full of a million million voices, saying, 'Yes. Of course we'll help.' You've touched so many lives, saved so many people. Did you think when you're time came you'd really have to do more than just ask? You've decided that the universe is better of without you. But the universe doesn't agree."
This is beautiful to me. The Doctor has done so much to help so many people. And when he needed help, their answer was, "Yes. Of course we'll help." I've said this before several times but I do believe it is true, people remember kindnesses. People remember when someone helped them and when someone was kind to them. And when karma comes around and that kind person needs help, the reply from all those people whose lives were touched will always be, "Yes. Of course we'll help."
Love you.
Mean it.
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