Written by Hey Guys, It’s Carly. I am in testing season at school, so I can’t really write on KidzNet. I am so sorry for not posting last week. But I do have a 4-day weekend, so I get more time to research.
Not only that, I have a Moomin Notebook now. I will post my notes in a special project.
In Finland, there is a phrase- or a word, that a lot of people go by. This word is just 4 letters.
Ready?
Sisu.
Now, Sisu may sound like a weird word to you, but today I will explain what Sisu is, Is it important, and how you can apply Sisu to your everyday life.
What is Sisu?
Sisu basically just means being brave and being able to overcome anything.
Similar to how Sweden has “Lagom” and Denmark has “Hygge,” Sisu is a unique concept that is rarely used outside of Finland. There is no literal English Equivalent word, so it’s a word that only exists in Finland.
Throughout Finnish history, Sisu has been used a lot of times. During the Winter War, a battle that happened during World War 2 that was Finland vs. the Soviet Union (Note that, unlike the other Nordic Countries, Finland used to be controlled by Russia for over a century), the Finns, although they were outnumbered, the Finns were more equipped for the war.
Although the Soviets won the war, The Finns weren’t hurt, and thus, the Finns showed their 1st recorded example of Sisu, as said in a Time Magazine Volume.
Sisu was not just limited to Finland in World War 2. Sisu is used in the modern world.
Here are some listed examples
- In 2004, the CEO of Nokia described the Sisu as managing the company during the long Nordic winters, where the winter may harm the internet connections.
- Marko Albrecht, a Finnish-American filmmaker, made a documentary about life in his Finnish-American Community in Upper Michigan. The movie also focuses on his dad’s fight for cancer. I do not know if his dad survived or not.
- This isn’t really an example of people being Sisu, but in Finland, it is common to name your company Sisu – there are Sisu Bands, Sisu Supermarkets, and even Sisu Trucks.
Does Sisu really matter?
Even though Sisu does have a big cultural and Historical background in Finland, does Sisu really matter, and if it does… is it important? There was actual research done on this.
In May 2013, about a thousand Finnish and Finnish Americans were asked to take a survey on how much Sisu was important to them and whether it actually had an impact.
About 53% of people said they have a lot of Sisu, 84% said that their “Sisu levels” vary.
On the psychological level, there are both harmful and useful Sisu. This could be measured with a Sisu Scale, which I couldn’t really find anywhere.
How to be Sisu?
Being Sisu isn’t just being brave; there is more to it.
According to Finns, here are some ways you can be more Sisu.
- Connect yourself with nature more.
- Appreciate the silence
- be lonely (Finns love to be alone, like most Scandinavians)
- Be more brave (this is obvious)
Bye!!!
