You have to look at what karma actually is and the purpose behind it in order to understand it. I've been really looking into this a lot lately because someone upstairs is moving me into a different area that I have never experienced before, which makes me totally out of my league,lol. What I have learned is this. Karma is like a cause and effect that helps us build the moral and ethical boundaries within ourselves. It's NOT a good versus evil thing. There are different kinds of karma.
Instant karma- are the decisions we make that usually have an instant or "soon after" effect. I kids used to like jumping on the bed, Even though I told them a billion times not to, I would catch them doing it anyway's. One day, one of my kids fell off the bed. I call this instant karma, or a natural consequence, because even though they had many opportunities to divert from doing this, they disregarded it, did it anyways and now understand the effects of what happens when they do it. Sometimes it's minor, sometimes it's major. For my kid, it was minor, but stopped doing it.
Then you have like a repeat karma. This can happen over 1 or more lifetimes, This is usually a pattern of behavior that causes certain situations to happen over and over again. Perhaps your a gentle soul, and everywhere you go, people just walk all over you. It doesn't seem right to do that, but perhaps the lessen is for that soul to discover more self worth, or to learn to set firmer boundaries. It's not actually negative, it's intended purpose is to change a certain type of thinking or behavior in a person in order for them to move forward. My daughter is a good example of this. She is transgender, but before she came out, she would push people away. I would always ask her to do with with the family. She got into a deep depression. She told me one day, that she didn't feel like she was a part of this family, and I told her, we love and accept you, and if you don't feel like a part of this family, it's not us, it's because You separate yourself from us. I'm always asking you to do things or go places, so if your not happy, it's because you chose to be this way. She finally understood and started changing that behavior, which also later started boosting her self esteem to make the full transition, which she is happy about.
Then you have the karma you can't escape, I like to call this the "intention karma". This is usually a type of karma hits deeper in the soul and is often the making of tortured souls. These are the things we do that keep pushing our own ethical boundaries. There are usually a ton of "red flags" and the line keeps getting pushed further and further up. The red flags keep popping up, and either you get to the line and say, "this is far enough" or you cross the line. Usually when a person has crossed the line, they have gone way past their ethical boundaries and struggle with the choice they made. The consequence is usually very severe, usually involves effecting someone else's life and usually can't be "undone". It's like the tsunami's of karma. I have a family member who is a prime example of this. She had to make the decision to keep someone on life support or pull the plug. It's a difficult decision, yes, but if your intentions are aligned with your action, then even though it would be a tough call, you are still within your own perimeter's because your intentions were for the right reasons. But, if there is something else going on, say your intention is not for the benefit of that person, but more for the benefit of yourself, like not wanting to be burdened with an involvement or whatever, then making that decision on someone else's life, the intention is what makes it acceptable or cross the line. Only that person can decide what that is.
And now for the the karma I am starting to learn about, someone else's karma! With the case of this family member, something didn't sit right with her on making this decision, doesn't mean she is bad, it just means that SHE crossed some line for herself, whether innocent or not. It's not about right or wrong, it's about our own boundaries. This created alot of energy and one to torture themselves. This energy often creates this world that they live in it, and people around them, whether theirs or not, get sucked up right into it! Everywhere they go, it's like a walking disaster and whoever is in their path, gets sucked up in it. And this will stay with them until they are ready to face themselves with the decision they made, and find some measure of peace within it and this could take lifetimes and even into the afterlife. They literally create hell around them because this is what they feel they deserve, whether they consciously choose to accept it or not, which denial seems to be a theme and will stay until there is some resolution. And then you have universal karma, which is the result of what happens to the "whole" due to the karma or actions of the individuals. Our ozone layer, is a great example of this. I'm sure there is more, but this is just a basic over view on karma often works and some of the degree's it goes to. It is not meant as a good and bad, it's primary goal is the help us learn about ourselves and allows us to evolve. It's done through action and reaction so the soul experiences this on a deeper level and can carry these along the way. Anyway's I hope this helps give a different perspective on karma.