Murphy's Law of Bullshit

Murphy's law is an adage in Western culture that broadly states: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

I never had a slice of bread,
Particularly large and wide,
That did not fall upon the floor,
And always on the buttered side.

Well, I do suppose that, or something of that equivalent, has happened to the best of us. We do often find ourselves in the queerest and tightest of situations. And just when things appear to not get any worse, it one ups itself.

But let's take a step back and look at things from a fresh perspective. Why does toast always land butter side down? Why? The answer lies, my dear friends, in ergonomics.

It was centuries ago that Vitruvius created the perfect man - one of perfect proportion. It was named the Vitruvian Man. (Seriously, go google it if you're lost. You've definitely seen this one.) Also discovered was the Golden Ratio. The proportion that is exceptionally pleasing to the eye. It is of this precise blend of Mathematics and Art that many an artist or architect have based their work on hencewith, but I digress.

Much of this is in relation to the kind of furniture, infrastructure of modern day. You see, without these, we would not have a sense of proportion, and ergonomics would not have come to be. It is this precise pursuit of ergonomics that answers the very question, "why does toast always land butter side down".

Ergonomics is the study of human capabilities in relation to their work demands. Hence, a typically ergonomic dinner table, of a height of say, 1200mm, is optimal to a person of average height sitting down to a good meal. Now this is where physics come into play. When a piece of toast is dropped from a height of 1200mm, a combination of Earth's gravitational force, as well as the piece of toast's stored kinetic energy, causes it to flip 180 degrees and land - butter side down. Had the table been twice the height, it would land, butter side up.

My point being, we are in control of these situations. We are not submissive to Murphy's law. We are the driving force of our lives, and Murphy's law is a weak and feeble attempt by someone who needs something to blame for his/her incompetance.

Let us not blame others for our shortcomings or misfortunes. I say take up ownership. Things happen for a reason. How you deal with it defines the kind of person you are.

Murphy's law? Bullshit.