"Whatever" is one of the great Zen responses of all time. Conditioning, or self-hate, begins its tirade: "You should have . . . If only you had . . . It's all your fault because . . ." And your response is a yawn: "Whatever." Adults go crazy when kids say that to them, because the adults know they are absolutely powerless in the situation. It works the same way with our own conditioning: it's powerless when we offer no resistance. The acceptance of "whatever" frees us.
— Cheri Huber, When You're Falling, Dive!