Murphy's Fourth Law
Posted: June 28th, 2006, 4:05 pm
Here's an interesting thought to consider.
A month or so ago, our aging 1990 Chevrolet wagon began to show symptoms of a serious problem. Some days, it would start and run fine. Other days, it might start and run, or it might not. Our first thought, confirmed by a mechanic, was that we needed a new starter. So, we did that. But the problem recurred. One day, while Anna was driving, the car simply went dead. The engine stopped cold; nothing worked. (Happily, she happened to be driving slowly, near home.) The mechanic now thought that it was likely an electrical problem, probably a faulty ground connection, which, he said, could take a few minutes to find or many, many day$.
So, for several weeks, the car sat in front of our house. We crawled under and around it, looking for a "faulty ground connection" without success. Finally, in desperation, we gave up, and decided the best thing was to have it towed to a junkyard.
Then, one day, Anna raised the car's hood, pointed to a wire, and said to me, "I'll bet it's that one".
I disconnected the leads, wire-brushed and sanded the connections, put it back together, and guess what? The car runs fine!
When we related this story to our neighbor up the road, he quoted what he called "Murphy's Fourth Law":
Whenever an expert is confounded by a seemingly insoluble problem, the solution is immediately obvious to the first unqualified person who happens along.
Applying that to the spiritual process, it seems to me that, bless their hearts, so many theologians, priests, pastors, rabbis, and the like, and even a lot of so-called "New Thought" people, so often complicate issues that to a simple seeker seem so obvious.
A month or so ago, our aging 1990 Chevrolet wagon began to show symptoms of a serious problem. Some days, it would start and run fine. Other days, it might start and run, or it might not. Our first thought, confirmed by a mechanic, was that we needed a new starter. So, we did that. But the problem recurred. One day, while Anna was driving, the car simply went dead. The engine stopped cold; nothing worked. (Happily, she happened to be driving slowly, near home.) The mechanic now thought that it was likely an electrical problem, probably a faulty ground connection, which, he said, could take a few minutes to find or many, many day$.
So, for several weeks, the car sat in front of our house. We crawled under and around it, looking for a "faulty ground connection" without success. Finally, in desperation, we gave up, and decided the best thing was to have it towed to a junkyard.
Then, one day, Anna raised the car's hood, pointed to a wire, and said to me, "I'll bet it's that one".
I disconnected the leads, wire-brushed and sanded the connections, put it back together, and guess what? The car runs fine!
When we related this story to our neighbor up the road, he quoted what he called "Murphy's Fourth Law":
Whenever an expert is confounded by a seemingly insoluble problem, the solution is immediately obvious to the first unqualified person who happens along.
Applying that to the spiritual process, it seems to me that, bless their hearts, so many theologians, priests, pastors, rabbis, and the like, and even a lot of so-called "New Thought" people, so often complicate issues that to a simple seeker seem so obvious.
