Some easterners would chalk it up to karma, actions that you (your soul) took in past lives.

I argue with my wife about it all the time and I’d say karma is a harmful belief because it supports injustice. In India for instance, people believe that your position in the caste system is a reward or punishment for your past life behavior. To me this sounds suspiciously like ‘For a dahlit, Earth is a hell, and by upholding Hinduism you are responsible for that person’s punishment, that is, a devil.’