I feel like “it is what it is” is too often shit on.
I had a boss from whom I learned about staying calm and keeping steady course.
His favorite saying was “it is what it is” and it was always in the context of simply recognizing the reality for what it is, instead of hoping or wishing it was something else or lamenting over how it should have gone a different way. Then, from the point of accepting that “it is what it is” we would focus on how to get to where we wanted to be.
Sure it can be used dismissively, but I feel like people always just dismiss it as a cliche when it’s actually usually a very good philosophy.
“Though-terminating” is not necessarily a negative thing.
Like how your boss used it: stop the train of anger and reframe the problem in a more constructive way.
It’s still terminating a thought, it just wasn’t a productive thought and needed terminating.
Edit: typo
The Japanese say “shouganai” which literally translates to “It can’t be helped.”
The problem is, 90% of the time, it absolutely can be helped.
Me:“It is what it is.”
Narrator:“But it wasn’t.”
It do be like that sometimes.
The problem is, 90% of the time, it absolutely can be helped.
Shouganai.
“Tja” - German word that simply serves as a linguistic shrug of resignation.
“Et es, wie et es.” - Typical cologne dialectic phrase of recognizing reality and moving on.
