psychology
The man at the supermarket checkout asks, ‘Do you need another bag?’ Unwilling to fork out an extra 5p in return for more plastic, I shake my head and overload the one bag I have, squeezing in a carton of milk. Ten paces up the road and the bag splits, my shopping falling unceremoniously onto the pavement. ‘Typical,’ says a voice in my head.
Gathering up bananas and washing-up liquid, I pause and ask myself: ‘Is it really typical? Do bags typically break; does shopping typically end up on the pavement? Why did you say that?’ The answer comes easily: this narrative, the one that says the worst outcome is the one to expect, is what I grew up with. ‘Isn’t it always the way?’; ‘That’s Murphy’s Law’; ‘Expect the worst, and you won’t be disappointed!’ You get the pessimistic picture. The thing is, I don’t like this Murphy chap. Not only do I reject the idea that life is conspiring against me, I don’t think the belief that it does serves me particularly well.
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