Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Murphy's Law

Murphy's Law--whatever can go wrong, will go wrong--also known as the law of unintended consequences. It is a law that we are all aware of, and have experienced.

Having been in construction all of my life, I was constantly facing this law of nature: no matter how carefully I planned and double-checked the plan, there would ALWAYS be something unexpected that would happen to screw things up! A piece of machinery would break down, someone would show up late, or not at all, etc.-- something always made us change our plans to some degree or another. Whatever could go wrong, often did go wrong.

Add our innate knowledge of this negative law to the domino effect--also known as the 'butterfly effect' (a butterfly flaps its wings in the jungle and causes something to happen on the other side of the world--a domino effect that escalates and spreads farther than expected), and one can get a better understanding of how and why we need to be careful about what we do and say!

There is no such thing as a sin or a crime that does not effect others. Everything we do and say has consequences--sometimes, most times, unintended. How often do we hear of people getting way over their heads, simply because they did not, or could not, see the domino effect of their actions upon the people around them.

The man who drinks and drives, and finds himself in jail for life because he accidentally hit and killed someone. The robber who just wanted some money, but ends up dead, or killing someone, because he did not, or could not, expect the response he received from the person he was robbing. The list could, and does, go on forever! We can never know the full consequences of our actions--upon ourselves or others.

Knowing this to be true, it is even more important for us to act wisely, and to do good.

If we purposely do things that are bad, the chance that the domino effect and law of unintended consequences will also be bad are magnified a hundredfold. If you purposely do evil, then all the 'ripples' emanating from that act will also be evil-- and we never know just what powerful, negative effect our actions will have upon those around us (think of the reach of the butterfly effect--across the world). Add to your ripples, all the thousands of negative ripples being produced by people around you... and we become awash in a sea of negative consequences.

On the other hand, if we always do what is good, the chance that the domino effect and law of unintended consequences will also be good are also magnified a hundredfold. If we choose to do good, then the 'ripples' emanating from our actions will also be good--and we never know to what profound effect our good acts will have on others.

Having counseled with others within the Church for many years, I am always amazed at the effects small acts of kindness have on others! Perhaps it is because the person has felt so little love in their lives, that our one act of kindness overwhelms them... or perhaps it is because we simply can never see where the ripples of our actions end up, and how far they really go!

So why do evil? Simple common sense and our own experience tell us that doing good is better for us and for everyone around us! Is the temptation of worldly gain, or the pleasures of the world really that strong? Are we really so weak we cannot act upon what we know to be true, instead of simply being carried along by the tide of evil actions that surround us? I don't think so!

I believe that we are children of God, and have the innate ability to choose to do good. The key is the word: choose. God has given us agency. We are free to choose what we say and what we do. So let us decide to do good. After all, what have we got to lose?

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