Murphy's law is inspired by your neighborhood aunt
And you thought your neighborhood aunt ain't famous?
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Mr. Murphy, of the famous Murphy’s Law, has the exact same energy as that neighborhood aunty who always knows exactly when to show up—and not in a good way. Trust me you know which one.
She appears out of thin air, right when you’re trying to get the newspaper from outside of your gate in a baniyan (vest) and shorts with holes, hoping nobody sees you and if one does, definitely doesn’t start a conversation. But there she is with a tone more irritating than that of Janice, ‘Hi Beta! How are you? What are you doing nowadays?’ Yep, that aunty.
Murphy’s Law is simple: anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. This law didn’t just pop out of thin air. I’m convinced Mr. Murphy was possessed by the aunties of the world, particularly those in India. You know how they have that sixth sense, always knowing when you're about to make a mistake or, worse, enjoy yourself?
You ever try leaving the house for an event, dressed to impress, ready to make an entrance? Well, Mr. Murphy’s got his mojo in every aunty who shows up at that exact moment to offer unsolicited advice. “Oh, you're wearing that? Interesting choice.” And boom—now you’re staring at yourself in the mirror wondering if wearing yellow was, in fact, a terrible life decision. Just like that, your confidence levels plummet to the same depths as your patience.
Murphy’s law is everywhere. Like the time I left home early, fully geared up with my helmet and all, determined to reach on time. I had enough buffer in place to overcome any delays due to traffic until—surprise, surprise—a traffic police officer stopped me for a random check. Meanwhile, a gang of helmet-less superheroes zoomed past me at speeds that made me question the existence of speed limits. No bonus marks for guessing that I got late as the routine check not only ate my buffer time but also a quarter of an hour more.
And don’t even get me started on the day I bought a pack of Maggi noodles, only to find out it didn’t have a masala pouch inside. I’m not even kidding! Imagine staring at a lifeless pile of plain noodles, while Murphy’s sitting somewhere, laughing at my fate saying - told ya!
But the ultimate Murphy’s Law moment is when you’re about to make a major life decision. You’re feeling good about it, confident even, and then suddenly she appears to casually drop, “Are you sure, beta? You know your Chintu bhaiya tried the same thing, and now he’s selling insurance in Bareilly.” And just like that, you’re doubting every choice you’ve ever made. Thanks for the confidence boost, aunty.
The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that Mr. Murphy was probably an aunty in his previous life. Or maybe he was just inspired by a particularly chatty one from his own building. Either way, Murphy’s Law and aunty encounters aren’t that different—both of them are always there to remind you that no matter how carefully you plan, there’s always someone (or something) ready to flip your script.
What do you think? Got your own ‘Murphy Aunty’ story to share? Drop your best ‘Of course this would happen to me’ moment in the comments—I’m all ears! After all, if we’re going to be constantly interrupted by life’s unexpected plot twists, we might as well laugh about it together.
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