I think the original view of "karma" was reality therapy, it was based on the idea that the individual and the collective were only perceived to be separate, rather than actually separate. Actions thus do have consequences, that will affect either the individual or the collective, but since the collective and the individual are only separated by illusion, what happens to your neighbour in a sense happens to you. And if everyone thinks that way, social harmony ensues. But in the West we just think in terms of individuals.