How do you explain Murphy's Law? Is there a perverse sadistic force in the universe?
Posted: April 1st, 2014, 10:20 pm
I've been wanting to ask something for a long time that is kind of taboo but real nonetheless. I was wondering if anyone had any input or explanation for it, since it defies all rational explanations by science or the laws of probability. It's about the phenomenon known as:
MURPHY'S LAW
There does seem to be an invisible force around us that likes to go against our intentions and wishes. It enjoys tripping us and putting obstacles in our path. It enjoys putting temptation before us, and then yanking it away, as if saying "Na na na na na, you can't have it!" It likes to mess up our plans by throwing endless problems in front of us. So trying to move or relocate is like trying to get off Gilligan's Island -- in every episode something goes wrong. I've experienced this too many times consistently, many thousands of times, to the point where I know it can't be due to pure coincidence, chance or randomness.
I think nearly everyone experiences Murphy's Law. They may call it streaks of bad luck, but it's the same thing. So we all know what I mean. It's just that in America, people don't like to talk about Murphy's Law because it sounds negative and whiney, like you are blaming bad luck and superstitious forces for your predicament. So it's kind of a taboo term. Plus it makes you look like a loser if you complain about bad luck too much.
But the force does seem real nevertheless. When it happens everyday, thousands of times, after a while you realize it's not a coincidence. Some type of force really is working against you. There's a definite pattern that is not in accord with chance and coincidence. For example, if a 50/50 chance goes against you 90 to 95 percent of the time, many times consistently, then you know it can't be just a coincidence. And this applies to many things in life, from the trivial to the important. An infinite number of examples could be given.
There are books and websites that give many examples of Murphy's Law. Here are some webpages that list many examples:
http://www.murphys-laws.com/murphy/murphy-laws.html
http://www.murphys-laws.com/murphy/murphy-love.html
I could add many examples of my own to them. If you've seen the Snoopy and Charlie Brown cartoons and comics, you know what I mean. The Charlie Brown character is plagued with Murphy's Law to the extreme. Some people's real lives are like that, unfortunately. We've all known some of them.
I would define Murphy's Law like this: In a field of randomness, coincidences are calculated to go against you in a consistent pattern, to the point where you realize it's not pure randomness.
Note to skeptics: I understand that flukes happen everyday which defy chance. But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about CONSISTENT patterns in defying the laws of chance. For example, if I'm at an intersection and not sure which way to turn, and guess in a 50/50 chance, but I take the wrong turn 90 percent of the time, EVERY TIME hundreds of times, that's not a coincidence. I'm sorry but not everything in life is explainable by science and laws of probability. There are many many things that can't be explained by mundane conventional explanations. Some skeptics can't accept that, but it's true nonetheless.
Anyhow, the phenomenon known as Murphy's Law does seem real and consistent. The only question is whether the force known as Murphy's Law is emanating from your subconscious mind (as New Agers and pop psychologists would claim) or if it's some metaphysical 3rd law of Newton: "For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction." In other words, for every intention you have, the universe sends the opposite intention as an obstacle in your path to block you or trip you up. It's basically action=reaction at work. Other possible explanations are curses, bad karma from past lives, or non-physical entities at work.
You can laugh at this if you want. But we've all experienced it many times, even if we don't like to admit it. Even left brained Atheists that only believe in the physical universe, such as Momopi, have experienced it, even if they don't like to admit it. But it seems to plague some people more than others. I seem to be one of the ones for which Murphy's Law strongly affects. Even some of my skeptical friends, like Rock, became believers in Murphy's Law after witnessing it around me multiple times. After all, seeing is believing. Rock eventually dubbed it "Charlie Brown luck".
I wonder how New Agers, believers in Karma and the Law of Attraction, and those who believe in a just God, would explain Murphy's Law, since it doesn't fit into their paradigm? However, I don't think they can explain it though, since they can't even explain the timeless dilemma of "Why do bad things happen to good people?" that philosophers have asked for thousands of years. Even Job, in the Book of Job in the Bible, who asked that question throughout the whole story, did not receive a logical explanation from God at the end.
I do think though, that there is validity in the New Age/pop psychology claim that negative beliefs and attitudes result in self-fulfilling prophecies that produce negative outcomes. We've all seen that at work. So it's definitely a real phenomenon. But couldn't we argue conversely that our negative attitudes are a RESULT of our experiences as well, rather than the cause of them?
Either way, I'm not sure that could explain Murphy's Law though, unless our minds are capable of affecting external matter (like a subtle psychokinesis) to make external factors and forces go against us. But if our minds are the source of the problem, then it's good news, because it means that it can be changed and controlled, though it's not easy since the mind is not easily changed.
However, even if this is true, I think New Agers take it too far in claiming that we are responsible for everything and that everything is under our mind's control. They may not put it like that, but they insinuate that in their theories and teachings. The mind cannot be responsible for everything. There are real victims in life, and bad things do happen to good people, which has plagued philosophers for thousands of years. And those who are positive, brave and fearless have died while taking risks. So not everything is completely under our control. We need to understand that, lest we will take reckless risks that endanger our lives, thinking that nothing can go wrong as long as we are positive and devoid of negative attitudes.
So anyway, what do you all think? Are any of you willing to admit that you've experienced Murphy's Law or Charlie Brown luck consistently, even if makes you sound like a loser? Or do you know anyone who has, to the point where it can't be due to randomness or coincidence? If so, what's your explanation?
MURPHY'S LAW
There does seem to be an invisible force around us that likes to go against our intentions and wishes. It enjoys tripping us and putting obstacles in our path. It enjoys putting temptation before us, and then yanking it away, as if saying "Na na na na na, you can't have it!" It likes to mess up our plans by throwing endless problems in front of us. So trying to move or relocate is like trying to get off Gilligan's Island -- in every episode something goes wrong. I've experienced this too many times consistently, many thousands of times, to the point where I know it can't be due to pure coincidence, chance or randomness.
I think nearly everyone experiences Murphy's Law. They may call it streaks of bad luck, but it's the same thing. So we all know what I mean. It's just that in America, people don't like to talk about Murphy's Law because it sounds negative and whiney, like you are blaming bad luck and superstitious forces for your predicament. So it's kind of a taboo term. Plus it makes you look like a loser if you complain about bad luck too much.
But the force does seem real nevertheless. When it happens everyday, thousands of times, after a while you realize it's not a coincidence. Some type of force really is working against you. There's a definite pattern that is not in accord with chance and coincidence. For example, if a 50/50 chance goes against you 90 to 95 percent of the time, many times consistently, then you know it can't be just a coincidence. And this applies to many things in life, from the trivial to the important. An infinite number of examples could be given.
There are books and websites that give many examples of Murphy's Law. Here are some webpages that list many examples:
http://www.murphys-laws.com/murphy/murphy-laws.html
http://www.murphys-laws.com/murphy/murphy-love.html
I could add many examples of my own to them. If you've seen the Snoopy and Charlie Brown cartoons and comics, you know what I mean. The Charlie Brown character is plagued with Murphy's Law to the extreme. Some people's real lives are like that, unfortunately. We've all known some of them.
I would define Murphy's Law like this: In a field of randomness, coincidences are calculated to go against you in a consistent pattern, to the point where you realize it's not pure randomness.
Note to skeptics: I understand that flukes happen everyday which defy chance. But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about CONSISTENT patterns in defying the laws of chance. For example, if I'm at an intersection and not sure which way to turn, and guess in a 50/50 chance, but I take the wrong turn 90 percent of the time, EVERY TIME hundreds of times, that's not a coincidence. I'm sorry but not everything in life is explainable by science and laws of probability. There are many many things that can't be explained by mundane conventional explanations. Some skeptics can't accept that, but it's true nonetheless.
Anyhow, the phenomenon known as Murphy's Law does seem real and consistent. The only question is whether the force known as Murphy's Law is emanating from your subconscious mind (as New Agers and pop psychologists would claim) or if it's some metaphysical 3rd law of Newton: "For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction." In other words, for every intention you have, the universe sends the opposite intention as an obstacle in your path to block you or trip you up. It's basically action=reaction at work. Other possible explanations are curses, bad karma from past lives, or non-physical entities at work.
You can laugh at this if you want. But we've all experienced it many times, even if we don't like to admit it. Even left brained Atheists that only believe in the physical universe, such as Momopi, have experienced it, even if they don't like to admit it. But it seems to plague some people more than others. I seem to be one of the ones for which Murphy's Law strongly affects. Even some of my skeptical friends, like Rock, became believers in Murphy's Law after witnessing it around me multiple times. After all, seeing is believing. Rock eventually dubbed it "Charlie Brown luck".
I wonder how New Agers, believers in Karma and the Law of Attraction, and those who believe in a just God, would explain Murphy's Law, since it doesn't fit into their paradigm? However, I don't think they can explain it though, since they can't even explain the timeless dilemma of "Why do bad things happen to good people?" that philosophers have asked for thousands of years. Even Job, in the Book of Job in the Bible, who asked that question throughout the whole story, did not receive a logical explanation from God at the end.
I do think though, that there is validity in the New Age/pop psychology claim that negative beliefs and attitudes result in self-fulfilling prophecies that produce negative outcomes. We've all seen that at work. So it's definitely a real phenomenon. But couldn't we argue conversely that our negative attitudes are a RESULT of our experiences as well, rather than the cause of them?
Either way, I'm not sure that could explain Murphy's Law though, unless our minds are capable of affecting external matter (like a subtle psychokinesis) to make external factors and forces go against us. But if our minds are the source of the problem, then it's good news, because it means that it can be changed and controlled, though it's not easy since the mind is not easily changed.
However, even if this is true, I think New Agers take it too far in claiming that we are responsible for everything and that everything is under our mind's control. They may not put it like that, but they insinuate that in their theories and teachings. The mind cannot be responsible for everything. There are real victims in life, and bad things do happen to good people, which has plagued philosophers for thousands of years. And those who are positive, brave and fearless have died while taking risks. So not everything is completely under our control. We need to understand that, lest we will take reckless risks that endanger our lives, thinking that nothing can go wrong as long as we are positive and devoid of negative attitudes.
So anyway, what do you all think? Are any of you willing to admit that you've experienced Murphy's Law or Charlie Brown luck consistently, even if makes you sound like a loser? Or do you know anyone who has, to the point where it can't be due to randomness or coincidence? If so, what's your explanation?