Article December 8, 2014 Issue

‘It is what it is’—or is it?

Peter Ross

The phrase, “It is what it is,” has gained increased usage in public discourse in recent years. I have often wondered exactly what is meant when people say it. It seems they mean that what has happened, or whatever the current situation is, is just the way that it is, and there is not much that can be done to change the situation. So, why bother trying to change it? Such feelings of hopelessness and fatalism may be in vogue, but they can be healed.

Whenever I hear that phrase, instead of letting it annoy me or bring me down, I correct it in my thought and see what is already true in regard to the situation being referred to. Whether the “it” is disease, a difficult relationship, or any other inharmonious situation, we can pray to understand spiritually that “it” isn’t! In fact, evil or inharmony can’t be real, because God is All-in-all—all-powerful and all good. By saying, “It is what it is,” we are simply accepting a false suggestion as true. The awakening to see what is already actually true—perfect God and perfect man—heals.

We can, and are able to, be alert and keep our consciousness filled with what is true about God and man.