Unmei ai is a Japanese word which translates to “love of fate.”

For someone who has never been anywhere in Japan other than the airport and a short ride by bus for airport transfer, my love of Japanese words and its deeper meaning is quite unexplainable.

To be precise, I discovered this word, thanks to “Amor Fati.” 

You see, Amor Fati is a Latin phrase which means embracing everything – the good, the bad, the painful — as necessary parts of your story. It’s not just acceptance, it’s choosing to love what shaped you. Some things didn’t happen to break you. They happened to build you. 

Isn’t this beautiful? 

According to Google, Unmei ai is the closest Japanese word to Amor Fati when it comes to its meaning and spirit. 

• Embracing everything, the good, the bad, the painful – as necessary parts of our story. Have you come to that point yet? 

Embracing in a way that we are not angry or bitter towards anyone and anything. It’s easy to embrace good but to do that at something bad and painful, it takes a lot of Unmei ai for that. 

• We are not only to accept them, but more than anything – love every single thing that shaped us to the person that we are now. 

Have you ever experienced something that shaped you into the individual that you are now? I have. I know I am not the only one in saying that – looking back at my past, I wouldn’t be who I am now if those things didn’t happen. Most of this happened to make us stronger and wiser, or not. 

• Some things didn’t happen to break you. They happened to build you. 

I ended up in this job because of needs. At that time it’s easier for me to question everything.  Why? What’s going to happen to us? Can I do this? But, looking back, I didn’t dwell on the questions. I jumped with everything I have and decided to put my trust in Him (and myself) and told myself, let’s figure this out as we go. It’s difficult to look at things as something that we should embrace and accept and much more, love, as they are happening, especially the not so good ones…

But if we are to make an “effort” to remember that we are not given challenges to break us but to build us, perhaps we will learn to embrace everything with love – the good, the bad, the painful, and the people that have been a part and helped shape our story. 

Love of fate. Unmei ai. Amor fati. 

Simple words, deep meaning.

We are all a byproduct of our past. It’s easier to dwell on the things and people that “we thought” made our life miserable and perhaps, took away our dreams…

But, love of fate calls for the now, the present.

We are where we belong. Our present was of our past. Our future is of the present. 

Embrace what shaped you. 

Be better. 

Do better.

You were given lessons for a reason.

That’s what love of fate, unmei ai, and amor fati is all about. 

Embrace what changes you.

Until next time,