"Whatever?" Never!

As a writer, I believe that words matter. Each one a writer chooses to use reflects an heart attitude and should convey a specific meaning. The same is true for the spoken language.

I´ve been hearing ¨"whatever" more and more and it bugs me. It´s a word of defeat, apathy, and surrender. It does not equal peaceful acceptance nor is it learning to embrace trials and the concomitant growth they produce.

I agree that we all must choose our battle grounds and we´d be perennially exhausted if we fought over every issue in our lives.

Many years ago, when I was a new, overwhelmed mother, a friend counseled me to "pick my battles." I  followed that advice. That didn´t mean hiding my head in the sand or avoiding all confrontations. It meant (to switch metaphors) knowing what it was worth going to the plate about.

Parents don´t tell their toddlers "whatever" when they´re having a tempter tantrum or permit their teenagers to drink and drive. Friends don´t look away from friends who are flirting with breaking their marriage vows, a community doesn´t ignore a judge who takes bribes, and a nation doesn´t turn its back on a lying president.

Pick your battles and go to bat for them. One for me is this:

No more "whatevers." Ever.