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Karma. . . you decide.
15 years ago, I was assaulted by a competitor in business. I had never met this man, but was part of a company that was toasting his company, and doing so honestly.
He tackled me from behind in a parking lot. I am not a big guy, and most certainly not a fighter. Had I been either, I still would have had no chance. He slammed my head into the car my friend and I were trying to enter. I was knocked unconscious. My friend was a 4' 11" woman who weighed about 90 pounds.
He kicked me in the back repeatedly, continued slamming my head into the car, and also into the concrete, and damaged me as horribly as all this implies.
I spent 5 years in physical therapy, spine treatments and so on.
I was never "okay" again. I still am not. 15 years later, I await a very dangerous attempt at back surgery. This is different from many of the surgeries you are probably familiar with because I have some unusual damage in there. My spinal column is also more narrow than a usual persons.
Because of the law in the state where I lived, the maximum sentence allowed for a first time offender was 3 days in jail. This man was also connected. He had, and these are literal titles, the Chief of Police, one US Representative, the city Mayor, and one state senator speak on his behalf as "character" witnesses. The judge put him in jail for the maximum, a laughable three days.
I hired an attorney to sue. He turned out to be a crackhead who missed a deadline for the statute of limitations.
I tried to sue the attorney. He had no malpractice insurance and was later disbarred. Dead end.
I received a call a few weeks ago from a friend who still lives in that city.
The man who assaulted me:
Lost all of his money and business in a series of unwise business moves.
His wife divorced him and took what was left.
His children sided with the wife and no longer wanted any association with him. One child was killed sometime during all of this.
My assailant, age 54 or so, suffered a stroke which left him completely aware of his surroundings but immobile, and unable to communicate.
He is currently housed in a government funded assisted living home in one of the worst areas of that city. If he does not suffer some sort of infection that kills him, he can expect to spend the next 3 decades in this condition.
Savage as it seems, I could not help but grin at the news, and still do. Maybe that says bad things about me-I honestly don't know.
I have a 14 year old son. I cannot throw the football to him on our lawn or even sit on a metal bleacher long enough to watch him play in his JV games. I miss being able to walk with my wife in the park or through a mall. My life has been a tour of ever-escalating painkillers and sleepless nights, filled with constant pain.
I have fought hard against the idea of this risky surgery, but in the last year, my life has gone even more downhill from a physical standpoint.
I am 37.
This is my karma story.
You decide, but I know what I think.
No sympathy needed or asked for. Shit happens, we all have problems. I only tell the story because the thread is asking about karma.
I sincerely hope none of you can top this karma story.
Best wishes, and hope you all have a fantastic holiday.
Johnny
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