WHAT NEXT? THAT'S THE BETTER QUESTION!

After writing the Wrights Lane post entitled "Our Future Is Literally Up in the Air" (see item below this one) and asking a number of questions on fallout from the world-wide coronavirus pandemic earlier today, an old expression kept coming to mind: "Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do and die."

In the subject post I went so far as to suggest a looming authoritarian society and that in our helplessness at such crucial times as the present, we have become dutiful followers. It was not intended to be conciliatory in nature and while I conceded to not having answers, I did allude to the future and "...what next."

Alfred Tennyson, invariably known as
Alfred Lord Tennyson on all his books

A “crisis” is any situation, expected or otherwise, which disrupts the normal flow of life and family. Whether pandemic, a death, divorce, job loss, move, or mental health emergency, everyone eventually experiences a crisis, and everyone responds differently. Unfortunately, for those providing support, someone else’s crisis can be highly uncomfortable, and there are a number of cliches which escape our lips to occupy the uncomfortable space. In my experience, saying nothing at all and just being present is almost always the best option, but in my role as a writer and commentator I am often compelled by duty to say something about catastrophic situations that impact our lives.

While the expression "Ours is not to reason why..." may be intended as a soft way of saying “we’re not going to find an answer to this,” it comes off surprisingly condescending, suggests one source I came across before putting together this post. Worse still, it suggests God is selfishly hoarding all the answers, and we just have to go along with it. When flippantly taken out of the military context as a form of situational resolve, this expression has always kind of bothered me. It actually comes from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s Charge of the Light Brigade, which depicts a group of soldiers making a heroic but ill-advised charge at the 1854 Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War. The full line reads:

"Theirs was not to make reply,
Theirs was not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred."

While Tennyson exalts these soldiers for their adherence to orders, the tone is still dubious, and when you apply this famous line to God, the redeemer of the universe looks more like a shortsighted commander ordering us to our deaths.

Even so, there’s a gem of a good idea here: the “why” of a situation often lies beyond our comprehension. But how can we convey this sentiment without the harsh implications of the original expression?

A better option might be to say: “I don’t know if we’ll ever know ‘why,’ but maybe I can offer some suggestions to help with ‘what next.’”

Sometimes dwelling too much on the “why” can lead to some unhealthy thought spirals, and this alternate expression offers a soft pivot away from that territory. 

There is certainly power in questions. They typically shape us more than our answers. There is beauty in wrestling with a really good question but "why" questions tend to be kind of useless. They may be cathartic and necessary to ask from time to time, but even when they have knowable answers, those answers do little to improve a situation. While simply dismissing these questions with “ours is not to reason why” can make things worse, consciously redirecting people into a “what next” mindset can be incredibly constructive— even empowering.

Though “why” will often elude us, “what next” gives us something concrete to sink our teeth into.

So there you have it...Something else to think about in our time of isolation.