Going Well

“If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.” (Edward Aloysius Murphy, Jr.)

Murphy’s Law originated at Edwards Air Force Base (EDW) in the Mojave Desert (southern California) in 1949. A team of EDW engineers were working on Project MX981, a mission to determine the amount of gravitational force (G’s) a human body could withstand in a crash. To see what happens when a human decelerates from great speeds, a human must first reach great speeds. This is something MX981’s engineers accomplished by repeatedly strapping a brave test subject into a rocket-propelled platform on rails, a rig known as a rocket sled. On most test runs it carried Dr. John Paul Stapp, a extroverted and humorous flight surgeon (and colonel) who volunteered for the job. Dr. Stapp had previously endured 31 G’s, but this test exceeded earlier gravitational forces.

When Dr. Stapp stepped from the sled asking what G force he had risked life and limb for, he was told zero (apparently the gages had failed to register). Troubleshooter Captain Edward Aloysius Murphy, Jr (a New Jersey native) discovered that someone had installed all six G-measuring devices backwards. Dr. Stapp endured 43 G’s on his final rocket sled ride that reached 632 MPH. It was the rapid deceleration that exerted the G forces. Dr. Stapp was blinded for a few hours from bleeding in his eyes, and had bruising from dust particles in his flight suit.

What is generally agreed upon is that Murphy was there to deliver some new gauges for the apparatus. The gauges malfunctioned. An irritated Murphy allegedly blamed the problem on subordinates, complaining: “If there’s more than one way to do a job and one of those ways will end in disaster, then somebody will do it that way.” Dr. Stapp transformed Murphy’s grumble into Murphy’s Law was

Captain Murphy left EDW, and became a reliability engineer for Hughes Aircraft. There he tested helicopter components to make sure nothing would go wrong. In the 1960s, he worked on the Apollo Moon Mission on safety and life protection issues. He had never really intended his law to be fatalistic in nature as his original statement reflected his concern with covering all contingencies to prevent trouble. Captain Murphy always claimed his law was a positive development by teaching people to expect the worst and safeguarding against it.

Since then, Murphy’s Law has developed thousands of corollaries that have been published in a variety of materials, and became part of American folklore. Murphy never gained from these commercial ventures. Profiteers deemed his law public domain although they all copyrighted this public material. Captain Murphy died on July 17, 1990.  Below are explanations of ten popular variations of Murphy’s Law:

Enough research will tend to support your theory- Here's a version of Murphy's Law that needs careful contemplation. Does it mean every concept can be proved to be a theory if adequate research is done, or if you believe in an idea, you can provide enough research to back it up? The real question is whether you can look at your research from a neutral viewpoint.

 If something can go wrong, it will-This is the original, classic Murphy's Law, which points to the universal nature of incompetence results in bad outcomes. Instead of looking at this adage with a pessimistic view, think of it as a word of caution: Don't overlook quality control and don't accept mediocrity, because a small slip is enough to cause a catastrophe.

 Left to themselves; things tend to go from bad to worse-Isn't this a common occurrence? Problems left unsolved can only get more complicated. If you don't sort out your differences with someone, things only get worse from that point on. The lesson to remember is that you can't ignore a problem. Resolve it before things get out of hand.

Matter will be damaged in direct proportion to its value-Have you noticed that the most valuable items are irretrievably damaged, while things you don't care about last forever? So take care of those things you value most because they're most likely to be ruined. 

Smile; tomorrow will be worse-Ever believe in a better tomorrow? You can never be sure whether your tomorrow will be better than today. Make the most of today because that's all that matters. Though there's a touch of pessimism here, this law teaches us to appreciate what we have instead of focusing on a better future. 

Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe, and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it, and he'll have to touch [it] to be sure-When a fact is difficult to contest, people accept it at face value. When you present a fact that can be easily verified or refuted, people want to be sure. Humans tend to take overwhelming information for granted. They don't have the presence of mind to work out the authenticity of a unrealistic claim.

The first 90 percent of a project takes 90 percent of the time; the last 10 percent takes the other 90 percent of the time-It's a humorous take on how many projects exceed the deadline. Project time can't always be allocated in mathematical proportions. Time expands to fill the space, while it also seems to contract when you need it most. Work expands beyond the allocated time.

 The opulence of the front office decor varies inversely with the fundamental solvency of the firm-Appearances can be deceptive. A shiny apple could be rotten inside. Don't get taken in by wealth and glamour. The truth may be far from what you see.

Things get worse under pressure-Don't we all know how true this is? When you try to force things to work in your favor, they are apt to get worse. If you're parenting a teenager, you have already worked this out. The more pressure you apply, the less likely you are to be successful.

You never find a lost article until you replace it-Whether it's a missing report, a set of keys, or a sweater, you can expect to find it right after you replace it.

 “If there are two or more ways to do something and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe, then someone will do it.” (Edward Aloysius Murphy, Jr.)[i]

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[i] Sources used:

·        “10 Versions of Murphy's Law for Universal Truths” By Simran Khurana

·        “Murphy’s Law is totally misunderstood and is in fact a call to excellence” By Corinne Purtill

·        “Edwards Air Force Base” and “Edward A. Murphy Jr.” From Wikipedia

·        “The Origin of Murphy’s Law” by Craig de Fasselle

·        “What you should know about the real Murphy’s Law” by IrishCentral Staff