I've never been persuaded by the so-called law of karma as often it's perceived.... It's almost the Biblical eye-for-an-eye situation if we accept the principle of paying in a subsequent life for transgressions in an earlier one.

To experience a situation where we experience a 'payback' life of cruelty directed towards ourselves would imply one of two possible situations.

The first is we would have chosen that life, perhaps because we believe that is how karma works. We might also have to turn our backs on the support and help available in interpreting the outcomes of our life experiences. These are situations which I can accept - strongly held beliefs can influence the situations we create for ourselves after we pass....

The second would be that our next life would be chosen for us, against our will, so that we experience the situations we put others in before. Effectively it's punishment and this makes no sense for me.

In everything I have learned about life and life hereafter such a principle of payback, of punishment, has always been rejected by the spiritually-evolved teachers who have influenced my understanding.