Future

Why Words in an Old Song Are Stopping Us From Saving Ourselves

It’s time to snap out of this trance.

In 1956 my grandmother was a groupie.

She was passionate about the singer Doris Day. Much later, in the interest of celebrity worship, my mother followed in Nannie June’s footsteps.

Which was odd given the amazing bands breaking out during Mama’s youth.

She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Later I discovered that Mom and Nana’s Doris Day addiction was specific to DD’s philosophy of life. Mom insisted that Ms. Day’s viewpoint was entirely summed up in one of her songs. I believe my mother stated that only for her own convenience.

We seek out information to support our own point of view and actions.

Nannie June and Mama played that song on their record players and stereos over and over and over again. Until both of them departed from this world, they never stopped listening to it and incorporating its message into how they lived.

The insignificant, second class citizen way women were also treated in those days made it easier to adopt such a fatalistic view of life.

The song: Que Sera, Sera. Whatever will be, will be.

Over the years before she passed away, I frequently asked my Mother, Gin, bunches of things like:

▪️What will I be when I grow up?

▪️You loved your hair salon business so much, why did you stop?

▪️Why does Daddy always boss you around?

▪️My Dad always says, “No wife of mine is going to work.” Why?

▪️Why do some people act so mean to others?

▪️How come there is so much sadness in the world?

Her answers to these questions and to so many others were always the same: Que sera sera, Whatever will be, will be…

My mother’s oldest daughter, Me, did not, from birth, enter this world cloaked in Ginnie’s dispassion, submission, resignation, fatalism and indifference.

Most Gen Xers didn’t plan on living their lives that way.

Heads up, readers.

The following applies to some of you. Also, it can apply to many. I do not generalize to everyone. Then again, you know where you stand in your complicity with some of these items below. Regardless of what any of us do, we are a little bit guilty. And sometimes a lot.

Today if we do not kick ourselves in the butt and move beyond the “whatever” attitude, we have no hope for much of any future.

Look around and look at us. The sentiment in that song, Whatever will be will be, appears to be (in some degree and manner) dominating our minds and behaviors.

Not only Gen X. People from Gen Z up to and beyond the Boomers. OK?

I am saying this in plain English. Today if we do not kick ourselves in the butt and move beyond the whatever attitude, we have no hope for much of any future.

Please don’t kid yourselves. Words without corresponding actions are useless.

▪️Disbelief in or minimization of what is going on around us is trickery. ▪️Politicizing issues that should not be about politics is wrong. ▪️Burying one’s head in the sand and believing in foolish theories also won’t cut it. ▪️All these “pooh-pooh” behaviours eventually end up in the whatever dogpile.

Sadly, my Mom and Grand Mom were expected to live by their creed of go with the flow. No wonder they adored Doris Day’s song. The landscape of their lives basically gave them no choice. Mostly they did not question their drone marching existence.

The ants go marching ten by ten. Hoorah. Hoorah.

Today we do not live like that.

At least not yet. Right now we still have the power to fix things. At the moment, we have no excuse for complacency. If we do NOT get our act together, then later on, subservience and compliance will be the rule of law.

Adopting the whatever will be, will be stance will only result in life as we know it, permanently changing. Our familiar world will pause (read:stop), to make way for a draconian society.

Folks, we have a good life. Are we really prepared to let the worst happen? Are we someday soon going to say in unison, Why didn’t we see this coming?

We are smarter than that.

Below are my own TOP THREE that I am currently tackling to do my part. These are three of many that need specific action.

About my number one below: Supposedly, we already initiated these behaviors. Well, now we have to DO them. Because mostly we are NOT implementing them. Some are doing what is needed, but not enough of us.

I invite you to jot down the what and how of your own top three. Or join me with mine.

If you didn’t have Doris-Day-hounds for grandparents or parents, maybe this is the first time you heard of her famous song. It doesn’t matter. The whatever happens, happens mantra is emblazoned in the minds of many. The origin is unimportant.

Enough already with the conspiracy theories, politically motivated and non-science solutions.

Absolutely, I am not being an alarmist. Today, there is little time left. We must get involved, visibly show support and stop:

ONE. The spread of this pandemic. We need to hear this. Please don’t wait for it to kill someone you love. You WILL act when that happens. Yet you will be too late to bring your cherished child, parent or lover back.

Beating the stuffing out of COVID 19 will only work if we are meticulous about the following five precautions:

▪️EVERYONE must wear a mask anytime you go outside your home and appear among others. Put a lid on your whining about masks being uncomfortable or against your freedom. Good grief, people. Lives need to be saved. ▪️If you venture outside your home, do so only when necessary. ▪️You must wash your hands for more extended periods and repeated times every day. ▪️Consistently you must distance yourselves SIX feet or more from others. ▪️Always practice the health professional advised and limited social group size.

This is NOT rocket science, folks. Think simple stuff. It has NOTHING to do with politics, freedom or manliness. These five little things above will save us until we have a virus cure and/or vaccine.

End of five-step story.

Enough already with the conspiracy theories, politically motivated and non-science solutions. The world didn’t evolve from caves to where it is today, based on paranoid, inaccurate ideas. Your life that you groove did not come about from superstition.

Sure. Buying into the hooey will help get scary people elected again.

This is not going to help any of us, we members of the 99%. Let’s not kid ourselves.

Got COVID fatigue? Like, who doesn’t? Look. The coronavirus does NOT care if you are sick of it. It only wants to make YOU ill and, if possible, die.

TWO. The stomp of martial law taking over our majestic cities. We may not want to utter the words fascism, totalitarianism, dictatorship or yes, martial law. But look around the world, people. These storm troopers apply the same tactics as other regimes. At the same time, they force people, forever and ever, to bow down to one supreme leader.

You folks out there supporting or agreeing with the goon squad forces occupying the city streets? Wake up. If this continues and takes over as a way to force bulk servitude, do you actually believe it will not hurt you along with all the others? ( I hope you heard my cackle of a laugh.)

Listen up. Your neighbors, your fellow citizens are not the enemy. Dividing the country or the world into “us and them” and promoting hate is a theme for a B grade science fiction movie. Real-life should not/does not need to be like this.

There are many peaceful ways to take a stance on this wave of terror and oppression. We all need to research and do our part.

THREE. The suppression of entire groups of human beings. Our job as quality individuals, with ethics and integrity, is to have compassion, kindness and respect for all people.

We regularly witness our sisters and brothers in danger, treated poorly, starving for food, without shelter, in need of medical help, in need of compassion, craving respect and assistance. We need to be there for them.

The world needs to finally support EQUAL status and treatment for all humans, no matter the size of one’s bank account.

The world needs to finally support EQUAL status and treatment for all humans, regardless of skin color, gender, religion, sexual preference, age, country of residence, language, or disabilities. This list is actually longer.

We regularly witness our sisters and brothers in danger, treated poorly, starving for food, without shelter, in need of medical help, in need of compassion, craving respect and assistance. We need to be there for them.

Folks, it’s about being kind. It’s about no one thinking they are superior to anyone else. Why does lording it over another person make some feel special?

We know this. We need to act.

The world is at a tipping point.

It is more than possible the interests of a greedy, wealthy 1% of the population will soon FULLY take over and finish the job of dominating the 99%. The rest of us.

Do not allow this to happen.

© Suzanne V. Tanner, 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Thanks again for your time, my dear reading and writing friends. I am sending wishes for the entire world to Be Kind. If you would like to be in email touch: [email protected]