Que Sera, Sera

Some of my older readers may recognize “Que Sera, Sera” as a song popularized by Doris Day. Loosely translated, it is Spanish for “what will be, will be”. A warm, cozy philosophy should one be wrapped in a nostalgic mood, but far from helpful in today’s real world.

It strikes me that the more one is inclined to believe in this mantra, the more faith plays a role in their life. God’s will is a powerful vehicle where one can cede control over the future and explain good and bad events by simply claiming that the Lord wished it to be. But our free will is god-given, isn’t it? And free will provides us the tools with which to exert a bit of control over our destiny. No, it won’t hold back floods or fire, but making good choices generally leads to better outcomes.

Can we give god the wheel while still making decisions that best serve our own purposes? Perhaps, but a better question might be whether god has any interest in driving? As a deist, I can only claim belief in some sort of higher power, but stop well short of claiming such self-importance as to warrant its interest in my personal plights. No, my higher power is somewhere on the back nine, hoping that the world will muddle through somehow.

I’m especially intrigued by those that rely on god’s will until that will seems to be working against them and they then turn to the secular world for solutions. Take, for instance, a couple of strong faith that has been unable to conceive. Their inability to have children is god’s will, apparently, but many turn to artificial methods in attempting an end run around the divine edict. Where’s the “que sera” in that? I’m sure we could find numerous other mutations of blind faith that seek other options when god’s will is no longer acceptable.

“It is what it is” could be called the common-day replacement for the quaint Spanish adage. Not as faith-based to be sure, but still portraying a relinquishing of control over events. Once again, we’re out of luck in times of flood and fire, but just think about how many things in our daily lives that could be improved by our involvement.

Activism, in other words. Regardless of the scale, most things improve when ordinary folks get involved. I’ve written many times of how the greatest social and political accomplishments rose from the efforts of grass-roots movements and fail to see any flaw in that position. Would the Arab Spring have occurred without the protests from the streets of Cairo or Tripoli? I doubt it. And the Occupy movement, albeit seemingly leaderless, has created a greater awareness of the fact that most things within our financial system remain unchanged.

So, as a New Year’s Resolution, how about a little less “que sera, sera” and a little more “que sera es toca a nosotros" (what will be is up to us).