Murphy’s Law is based on this. “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong,”. It also states that if there are two or more ways to do anything and one of them potentially result in disaster, someone will do it.
But the expression that most conveys the explosive nature of Murphy’s Law is without a doubt the notion that no matter what you do, you will invariably make the incorrect choice, and it may just be right.
On the other hand, we can use Murphy’s Law in our daily lives. Makes little fuss when things go well. Finally, we expect things to go our way. But when things go wrong, we look for a reason. It’s something to think about, but there is no evidence to back up Murphy’s Law itself. It’s all about how people see it. The Law catches our attention.
Have you ever had one of those days before? You wake up and fall out of bed while you’re bundled up in the sheets. On your way to the shower, you’re going over your skateboard and then you’re going to stick your toe to the door jamb.
As soon as you get your hair lathered with a shampoo, all the hot water is running out. As you come out of the shivering tub, you remember you forgot to take a towel. Can you get any worse this morning? It seems that anything that could go wrong this morning has actually gone wrong. Whether you’ve ever had a day like this, you ‘re probably already acquainted with Murphy’s Law. Murphy’s Law is the language that means that if anything can go wrong, it will. Is there any truth to this, though? And who’s that Murphy anyway?
The idea at the heart of Murphy’s Law reflects the basic pessimism of life that many people point to and find comfort in when things just don’t go their way. The concept is also broadened. Variations of Murphy’s Law have been around for several years and come under several different titles, like Sod ‘s Rule, Finagle ‘s Law, the Fourth Thermodynamics Law, Newton ‘s Fourth Motion Law, and the Inverse Midas Contact. Most of them were in use long before the word Murphy’s Law became common.
In fact, Murphy’s Law is generally credited to Captain Edward A. Murphy, Jr. Captain Murphy was an air force engineer who took part in a deceleration test at Edwards Air Force Base in California in 1949. During the check, Captain Murphy discovered that all 16 deceleration sensors had been improperly mounted. Each sensor could be mounted in two ways, and the sensor was incorrectly mounted in either case. Basically, if anything could go wrong, that’s what it did. Murphy said something to that effect, others echoed it, and the theory has since become more widely known as Murphy’s Law.
In our universe, according to the Law of entropy, systems naturally tend to end up in disorder.
Although this might be valid on a wide scale over time, it certainly doesn’t justify why you tripped over your skateboard or ran out of hot water in the shower!
Variations
Forsyth’s Second Corollary to Murphy’s Laws
“Just when you see the light at the end of the tunnel, the roof caves in.”
O’Toole’s Commentary on Murphy’s Laws
“Murphy was an optimist.”
Brook’s Law
“If at first, you don’t succeed, transform your data set.”
Example:
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When the bread is dropped, it will always land butter-side down
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When you wash your car, it will rain right away
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When you wait in line, the other line will always move faster than yours
Many people will see this Law as a way to be pessimistic about life. It isn’t true at all. Having a good understanding of Murphy’s Law can help people who lose to better deal with the problems and challenges that life throws at them.
Murphy’s Law helps us think about the future and make plans for it, so we can be ready for it. To help plan a project, it helps to look at the risks. When you think about things differently or predict that something will go wrong, you use practical creativity. The Law almost makes us ready for Plan B.