Here Comes Johnny Law

7:50 AM

What’s wrong with rules? Just two things: they tend to be man-made, and they're admired most by their inventors.

Let’s say Johnny is a marine technician, and Bill is his assistant. Johnny’s customer needs a new 12-volt bilge pump added to his boat, and Johnny assigns the task to Bill.

To comply with wiring codes (and reduce the likelihood of inconvenient on-board fires and explosions), the new circuit must be fused no more than 6 inches from the positive battery terminal.

Johnny’s method is to run his wiring from the battery to the pump, while Bill prefers running his wiring from the pump back to the battery. To Johnny’s way of thinking Bill’s method makes no sense, because for whatever reason, it’s easier for Johnny to keep track of what he’s doing by going in a rear-to-front direction.

(If Johnny was an arrogant ogre, determined to do everything his way, he’d add even more rules to remind Bill who’s in charge and make himself feel important. Johnny-made rules like,

NO WEARING JEANS TO WORK

ONLY APPROVED BRANDS OF TOOLS ARE ALLOWED IN THE TOOL BOX

NO ROCK MUSIC DURING WORK HOURS

DON’T ASSOCIATE WITH PEOPLE WHO AREN’T OUR CUSTOMERS)

Both wiring methods work just the same; there’s absolutely no difference except personal preference. But since Johnny’s in charge he gets to make the rules, and Johnny’s rule is Run New Wiring from Back to Front, that’s the way he expects things to be done.

But Johnny’s rule is not the law because both Johnny and Bill’s methods comply with the law - by installing a fuse in the required location.

Tacking on rituals and mad-made traditions like “Only Wire from Back to Front” distracts from what’s critically important: the circuit’s gotta be fused to keep an electrical fire from melting the boat.

Besides, remembering and observing all the rules results in an exasperating round of hair-pulling … and draws us away from realizing why the law exists in the first place.