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Norway to learn more how to drive fast from former Formula 1 champion Mika Häkkinen. As James and Mika sit next to fire on what could be brisk Finnish day, James asked Mika what sisu is.
I didn’t know what it was, and hearing Mika explain that it is basically to be courage and not doing something stupid like jumping up a tall tree and jumping off of it. And after hearing that, I went to Wikipedia to read up more on it:

Sisu is a Finnish term that could be roughly translated into English as strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity. The equivalent in English is “to have guts”, and indeed, the word derives from sisus, which means something inner or interior. However, sisu has a long-term element in it; it is not momentary courage, but the ability to sustain the same.

I like it, I like that word. Rather, I love that word. It is such a fabulous word because you can’t use it all the time. Not everyone fits that word, and I can only think of a few groups that encompass that word and one of the biggest ones is the US Marine Corps. The halls of Marine history, from the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli all the way to the Sands of Iraq. Their sisu has shined through from the enemy fire, and the tails you’ve read, and you’ve seen might have inspired you. Even for the briefest of brief moments.
But I’m willing to bet, after a few weeks or even a few days you just kind of brushed off the influence, the sisu. But that’s what is so awesome about the word, it’s not meant for brief moments.
You know someone with cancer? Not terminal cancer, but just cancer. You face your mortality, cancer is one of those things where no matter what, you gotta be strong. You have the sisu, because you want things to back to normal, you want your health to go back to where it was before the cancer. So you’re strong, you fight! You do the chemotherapy (if you have to), you go through the surgery, you take the drugs.
How about the the 1960s? I know everyone has read about segregation, all the civil strife. The fight for civil rights, the fight for all men and women to be equal. The fight for a bus seat in the front of the bus, to have the same education. Countless men and women fought to gain equal standing with other men and women that had the rights all the time. The will to be brave, to have the guts to continue to fight after getting arrested, beaten, sprayed with fire hoses. The March on Washington, hundreds of thousands of people coming together for a common cause to further a cause so their children and grandchildren can lead a better life.
Sisu. Bravery. Guts. Facing adversity.
Do you know what sisu is, more over, do you have sisu?
I’m challenging myself to see if I can be brave, if I can encompass sisu. I’m inspired by all the brave people around me, and all the ones I’ve read about. We all have friends that have faced diversity, that have gone through the shit river and come out the other side stronger, and better. They may not have known it, but they got sisu. I want to be them, I want the sisu.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 28th, 2008 at 10:11 PM and is filed under Personal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.