Connections Archive

Dr Bruce Manners
Senior minister, Avondale College Seventh-day Adventist Church

Whatever. . . . It's a one-word sentence that indicates, well, whatever. The ellipses (. . .) allows the reader or listener to add what the whatever is about.

Whatever. . . . It has to be said in a certain way, often with a shrug of the shoulders. That helps make the point.

There's a good side to whatever--tolerance and acceptance. These are positive values and allows you to appreciate those who take a different point of view to yours, who are different to you.

Then there's the it-doesn't-matter-version of whatever that can go something like this: "Do you want pizza for tea?"

"Whatever. . . ."

You don't care one way or another. And, really, it isn't that important.

Then there's the third way where whatever is the ultimate statement of apathy. In this sense, it has been around for a long time, but more recently it's been popularised by Matt Lucas as teenager Vicky Pollard on TV's Little Britain. Her repeated use of "whatev-ah" has introduced an attitude to a new generation.

In a sense, we live in a whatever world--that's where anything goes is acceptable as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. But there's danger in taking this attitude too far. It may be acceptable for our multi-faceted society, but it doesn't help build a fulfilling life.

Tolerance and acceptance is positive. Take them too far and you will tolerate and accept anything--whatever . . . . Without personal boundaries, personal beliefs, personal ambitions and a personal life philosophy, not only will advertisers play havoc in your head, but you'll simply follow the loudest or most insistent voice in your world.

Whatever . . . ? Life's too important to leave it to whatever.

For the Christian, it's out of the question. The apostle Paul tells us to "live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ" (Ephesians 5:2, NLT). That's something you can build a life on.