Author: William Tsay
Editors: Hwi-On Lee, Flynn Ma
Artist: Leo Li
In the world of wild laws and theories, there's a lesser-known counterpart to the infamous Murphy's Law; while Murphy's Law states that "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong,” Yhprum's Law claims that "Anything that can work, will work." The name itself is "Murphy," spelled backward, illustrating an opposite perspective to the pessimistic Murphy's Law.
From an engineering background, the optimistic Yhprum's Law is often used in scientific and technological fields. Pronounced "Y-prum's Law" has occasionally been referenced in literature to emphasize the accidental successes of events and remind people of the potential for positive outcomes.
Yhprum's Law encourages a belief in favorable outcomes by chance; it suggests that systems can fail and succeed beyond our expectations. In other words, it asserts that in the universe's complexity, things can fall into place just as much as things can fall apart. In science and technology, Yhprum's Law can be seen in the accidental discovery of medicines. Think about the many tales of scientific breakthroughs that occurred through accidents, from the discovery of penicillin from a contaminated Petri dish to the creation of the pacemaker. It supports the idea that scientists and creators should prepare to fail and remain open to accidental success.
In business, Yhprum's Law can influence leadership and decision-making processes. It allows managers to gain knowledge from unforeseen events and use them for their benefit. Additionally, people who embrace Yhprum's Law tend to have a more optimistic lifestyle, where one is encouraged to try new things with the mindset that they might just work out well.
Despite its positive message, Yhprum's Law is often rebuked by critics, who argue that it paints too much of a positive outlook of reality and that its optimism can blind to real-world issues and events. Moreover, relying on things to go right without preparing for the possibility of failure can be naive and potentially dangerous.
However, Yhprum's Law reminds us that success is a part of our life just as much as failure. Optimism is not naive; it is a form of courage to push forward and innovate. Rather than expecting the worst, this law allows us to consider the best. However, it is best to balance the hope of Yhprum's Law and the vigilance of Murphy's Law, equipping ourselves with the tools to navigate through both the darkness and light of life.
Citations:
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Bloch, Arthur. Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go WRONG!. Price Stern
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Akin, Jim. "The Optimist's Guide to Technology and Innovation: Turning Murphy's Law on
Its Head." Futurist Magazine, vol. 42, no. 2, Mar.-Apr. 2008, pp. 24-29.
Sandler, Martin W., and Kimberley A. Sandler. Murphy's Law Book Two: More Reasons
Why Things Go Wrong!. PSS Adult, 1986.
Pook, L. H. "The Role of Luck in Engineering Design: How to Take Advantage of
Serendipity." Engineering Management Journal, vol. 22, no. 3, Sept. 2010, pp. 3-10.