shoganai – It can’t be helped; unavoidable; accepting one’s fate; accepting a situation with stoicism and dignity; moving on with acceptance and without drama or a meltdown.
Twenty-five years after leaving my 2 year stint in Sendai, Japan, my recollection of the language is limited to a few odd, unrelated phrases.
One of my favorites is Shoganai-it doesn’t translate neatly into English, but this is part of what I love about it.
It indicates that “it can’t be helped” whatever the situation; delayed deliveries, lost packages, anything that a person would argue the contrary. At the same time, Shoganai indicates that there is to be no more discussion on whatever conversation, argument or tantrum preceded-that’s it, that’s life, it’s done.
In Feng Shui, this philosophy is adopted for many life events. The balanced approach is to move forward from where you are with the knowledge you’ve acquired prior. Shoganai embodies the spirit in which Feng Shui is meant to function-in Harmony.
