“It is what it is” is what it is.

Good afternoon, my name is Tako Kakoje, and today I want to unravel the common phrase of modern philosophy known as “it is what it is.”

So let’s dissect the term to better understand it:

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• “It” is classified as a pronoun, so a word that replaces a noun, having in mind that you already know what one is referring to so there is no need to repeat the noun, eg you know you are talking about a cup, so you can refer to it as “it” in the sentence.
• “Is” is a form of verb “to be”, which is happening now so in the present moment, and is usually used to connect a pronoun or noun with a predicate, like another noun, adjective or a phrase. 
• “What” is an interrogative pronoun, inquiring about the nature, identity, or essence of the subject.

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Therefore, in this phrase, "it" is talking about what you already know it is talking about, "is" reveals its state of existence in the present moment, "what" inquires into the nature of it, but then the answer is repeating the "it is", meaning it is what is occurring, the actual state of it.

In simpler terms, "It is what it is" means it is what it really is.

You might think to yourself, isn't this obvious? How can it be anything other than what it is?

But if you observe, you will understand we often see things as we want them to see.

So the more accurate phrase that represents most people's view or stance would be “it is what i want it to be”, “it is what I believe it is”, so basically, not being able to see what it is or to accept that it is what it is.

The most interesting thing about the phrase “it is what it is”, is that the phrase itself can be explained by the same phrase: “It is what it is” is what it is.

But that is not all.

To assert that "It is what it is" implies a negation of what it isn't.

Therefore, if it is what it is, it cannot be what it isn't, therefore it also negates everything else, than what it is, because all that it isn't it simply cannot be. 

So, picture this: "It is what it is" basically means something is what it is because, well, it just can't be anything else.

 It's like saying, "Hey, this thing right here? Yeah, it's this thing right here, and not anything else." or “this is how things are, no way of changing it”.

Not in the sense one cannot change it in the future, however, then the future will become the present, and it is what it is will still remain correct, although it will refer to a different situation or state of being, which will then be the now, so the same statement is still accurate. 

How perplexing.

Yes, so it is what it is in itself implies something is now, otherwise, we would say, “it is what it was”, “it was what it will be” or “it will be what it was”.

The last sentence is a common state of being in many people, expecting if something was what it was, it will again be what it was, when in reality, it will be what it will be and not what it was.

However this is irrelevant, because if you are living by the phrase it is what it is, you are no longer taking into account what it was nor pondering what it will be, it is what it is, the current, absolute, realistic state of the thing. 

Here is an example.

 Let say you are seeing a man, sitting on a chair, with his face in his hands like this:

So when you observe that, what do you see?

You might think, this man is sad over something that has already happened, or he is worried about what will happen.

WRONG!

This is not an accurate answer to the question "what do you see?"

In reality, if we see it as it is, we are seeing a man sitting on a chair, with his face in his hands like this:

And that is what it is. 

So, let’s summarise

 "It is what it is" means “it is what it is”. It's also a declaration of what it isn't because, you know, it can't be what it isn't.

In conclusion, "It is what it is" is a phrase that's both profound and ridiculous at the same time. It's a reminder that things are what they are, and they're not what they're not. 

It means we cannot change reality because it is what it is, and always remains what is, it is never what it is not, never what was or what will be, it is not what we want it to be, it is not what we reflect to it, it is what it is, and that is an absolute statement regardless of how much effort we put in to believe otherwise.

Fukiyu, for example, embodies this understanding. No wonder he is a celestial guardian.

We can not change the nature of reality: It is is what it is.

Thank you,

Tako Kakoje