The universe is conspiring against me

Hanlon's Razor for smarter decision-making

"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." It’s a famous quote from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and while it sounds inspiring, I’ve often felt otherwise. To me, Murphy’s law—“Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”—feels more true. 😅

• I’m so looking forward to an early morning run, and I wake up to thunder and lightning. ⛈️⚡️

• I plan a day of uninterrupted reading and writing, but unexpected obligations creep in.

• I decide to take a rare afternoon off for some quiet time, and right when I settle in, a neighbor starts a noisy renovation project.

I read The Alchemist over a decade ago, and while much of it has faded from memory, that famous quote stuck with me. So, when it feels like the universe is conspiring against me, I can’t help but get a little frustrated with Paulo Coelho. Is the universe really out to get me while it’s busy helping everyone else? 🤨

Tell me this hasn’t happened to you! Someone doesn’t respond to your message, and it feels like they’re ignoring you. Kids leave the room messy—they must be doing it to annoy you. Your spouse leaves the drawers open—they must be trying to drive you crazy. A colleague’s sloppy work? They must be sabotaging your project. And if your boss isn’t thrilled with your work, well, they must be jealous of your brilliance.

In reality, most of these assumptions are far-fetched. Remember Occam’s Razor from last week’s newsletter? The more likely explanation is often the simplest. Like Occam’s Razor, Hanlon’s Razor is another philosophical tool that can improve our reasoning and decision-making.

Hanlon’s Razor is a mental tool that teaches us not to assume the worst of people or situations.

Hanlon’s Razor—Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by neglect.

Your friend isn’t ignoring your message—they’re probably just swamped. Your teacher gave tough questions not because they dislike you, but because they want you well-prepared for the final exam. Your spouse? Probably in a rush for a meeting. And the kids? Well, they’re just being kids. 😀

Some people are wired to see the best in others, while some see the worst.

Thankfully, I lean toward the former. If someone fails to show up for a meeting, I hope it’s nothing serious like a sick child. If a friend cancels plans last minute, I trust it’s because something important came up. If a neighbor doesn’t wave back, I figure they just didn’t see me.

Assuming the best in others has its perks—my mind stays free from unnecessary anger and resentment.

Those who see the best in others often experience higher levels of happiness than those who assume the worst. No wonder optimism bias is one of my favorite biases. Just like we can benefit from optimism bias, we can learn to benefit from Hanlon’s Razor by applying it across various areas of life.

In business: If a client doesn’t respond to your proposal, it’s likely they’re busy, not that they’re unhappy with your work.

In relationships: If your partner seems distant, consider that they might be stressed about work, rather than assuming they’re upset with you.

In learning: If a teacher is tough on you, it’s more likely they want to push you to excel, not because they have something against you.

In personal development: When progress is slow, it might be due to factors beyond your control, not because you’re not trying hard enough.

Of course, there are situations where people might have bad intentions, and it would be naive to ignore that possibility completely. But making it your first assumption? That’s where we can go wrong.

By using Hanlon’s Razor, we can approach life with a bit more understanding and a lot less stress. It allows us to give people the benefit of the doubt and focus our energy on more positive, productive thoughts.

And who knows? Maybe by seeing the best in others, we’ll start to feel like the universe really is conspiring to help us—just in its own, sometimes mysterious, way.

Until next time 🙌