One of the most popular statements I strongly disagree with is “What will be, will be,” also known by its Spanish version, “Que sera, sera.” These words sound wise or even comforting like a reminder to let life flow and not stress over things. But personally, I believe this mindset can be very harmful if taken literally. It encourages passivity and makes people accept situations they can actually change.
In reality, what will be will not be unless we put in the effort to make it happen. Life doesn’t just unfold on its own — we have to be intentional about the direction we want it to take.
I saw this firsthand during my university days while studying Civil Engineering. There was a time in my 200 level I was so lazy and hardly go for lectures, my GPA was really and instead of facing it and working harder, I kept telling myself, “Que sera, sera; what will be, will be.” I used that as a comfort phrase to justify my lack of seriousness. But deep down, I knew I could do better.
Eventually, I decided to change. I dropped that mindset, became more focused, started attending classes regularly, studied smarter, and started seeing great improvements. My results began to reflect the effort I was putting in. That growth only came when I stopped leaving my future to chance.
One particular incident that changed my perspective was when I had an F in Engineering Drawing. It didn’t make sense because I had put in effort and even attended several tutorials with friends. But when I saw the result, I just sighed and said, “What will be, will be.” I didn’t complain, I didn’t follow up I just accepted it.
Meanwhile, a lady in my class had the same experience. Instead of accepting the result, she took it up with the department. She kept following it up until they found her missing script and guess what? She was awarded an A! That day, I realized how dangerous that saying can be. I ended up rewriting that course in my 300 level, all because I let that mindset rob me of what I deserved.
Moral of the story? Que sera, sera only works in movies. In real life, what will be is what you make happen.
PS: I own the rights to all pictures used here aside the first one which I cited