It is what it is. I gotta admit that this expression is my go-to for situations that I don’t like but feel powerless to do anything about. I don’t care if it’s the cost of groceries, slow commute traffic or the price of Red Hot Chili Pepper concert tickets…a shrug and a “Well…it is what it is.”, can pretty much wrap it up for me.
For sure, there’s a feeling of powerlessness to it, and that’s not a good thing. But the saying actually fits nicely into Buddhist thought in a positive way…minus the resignation. More on that later.
But first, some history.
I investigated the saying’s origins but didn’t find much to report. Apparently, it showed up in a 1949 edition of the Nebraska State Journal where it was used it to describe the harshness of frontier life. Here’s the quote…”New land is harsh, and vigorous, and sturdy. It scorns evidence of weakness. There is nothing of sham or hypocrisy in it. It is what it is, without an apology.” In other words, stop whining, pull up your overalls, and get the sod house built and the corn planted.
But let’s get back to the Buddhist connection.
Rather than using it to express futility, a Buddhist would use the phrase to convey the necessity of seeing…and accepting…things as they are rather than how we want them to be.
But it’s so much more than that.
It’s not just about accepting reality, it’s also about something that happens before acceptance…the awareness that your mind is stuck in an unproductive, perhaps painful, place.
One of the most important goals of Buddhist practitioners is to develop a keen awareness of those moments when they realize they are clinging to ideas that will cause them to suffer. In Tibetan Buddhism, this moment of realization is sometimes compared to the moment when a fish is about to be hooked. The smart fish recognizes the hook. Recognize the hook and avoid the pain. Better than that, recognize the hook and use it to grow into a deeper awareness.
So, when a Buddhist experiences that moment when they first become aware of unproductive or damaging thoughts, they use those thoughts as a reminder to accept reality in a non-judgmental, open-hearted, and ultimately more productive manner. In other words, the first sting of the fishhook isn’t a bad thing, you should be thankful for it. The sting reminds you to be present, accepting, and courageous.
Talk Like a (Tibetan) Buddhist. The Tibetan term for the “fishhook” concept is shempa. Here’s a great article by the Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron about how to avoid the fishhook. https://www.lionsroar.com/how-we-get-hooked-shenpa-and-how-we-get-unhooked/
Funny...You Don't Look Buddhist 