I don't really know if this is a word that is used a lot any more by teenagers even though I have been the recipient of the term on a couple of occasions when my granddaughter wasn't especially pleased with the instructions I had given her. The thing that brings "whatever" to mind right now is the African Gray parrot that is sitting on the door of her cage about six feet from me. Yep, that's what she's saying. "Whatever." – preen, preen – "Whatever." - scratch, preen – "Whatever."
Oh, she says a lot of other things, too and is especially skilled at duplicating certain sounds such as "good belch" and "bad gas". Hey, I've never claimed that she wasn't totally tacky at times. Wonder how she learned that stuff? Certainly not from me.
Back to "whatever". I suppose I'll have to take at least part of the responsibility for that one because I do use the word periodically. Oh, not in a snide, sarcastic way. More in the sense of, "Well, that's OK and if that's the way it's to be, we can work with it". I guess it comes under the heading of flexibility. I've found in the years that I've trod this good planet, that many of the things we experience are beyond our control. Oh sure, we can have a lot of influence over what happens in our lives and in truth, the amount of effort we expend in building these influences will almost certainly determine how successful we are in reaching our goals. But control is a different story entirely.
That's why I'm really partial to the "whatever" word. If situations develop that mesh with my desires or objectives – great! If they don't. well, "whatever". I'll come up with a way to work it out. If people act or respond in ways that are in line with my moods or thought patterns – great! If they don't. well, "whatever". If the car keeps running, the traffic flows smoothly, the weather is mild, the lines are short, the fish are biting, my favorite team wins, the steak is tender, the movie is enjoyable, the news is good and the conversation stimulating – great! If not. well, "whatever".
It's good to sometimes just go with the flow – to be able to flex with the situations that develop in our lives. It helps make life just a little easier. And the noisy bird who has now launched full force into her repertoire of sound effects? "Whatever."

About The Author

Gene Simmons, through NuPathz.com, provides an easy reading self-help blog, articles, quotations, thoughts and links along with affordable self-help and self improvement books & materials - all designed to help folks find the road to a more enjoyable lifestyle, to pass on some of life's "secrets for survival" in a chaotic world & offer a few smiles along the way. It's a down-to-earth, simple approach to discovering a better life. You can visit Gene at http://www.nupathz.com/.
gene@nupathz.com