In the context of the challenge she had set herself in New Zealand, it is not so much about the ability to withstand pain, but looking within to find the strength to go on.
“Sisu as a word, it literally means, when translated, ‘insides’ – the intestines. It is to understand what and who we are,” she says.
Key to this is quietening the expectations of the outside world and listening to ourselves.
“Sisu is unique as a concept in psychology because in Finnish culture sisu is not just a word that denotes tenacity or this inner resilience and great perseverance, but it also has this flavour of moral correctness and integrity,” Lahti says. “You do something and you do it really well, even when no one is watching.”
Despite depictions in popular culture – there was an action film called Sisu released in 2022 – Lahti says true sisu is quiet, contemplative and even gentle. The concept has applications for Australians.
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Podcaster Susanna Heiskanen – author of Nordic Lifestyle: Embrace Slow Living, Cultivate Happiness and Know When to Take off Your Shoes – sees many similarities between Australians and Finns.
“When I moved [to Australia] in 2008, I was surprised by how similar these two nations really are. After living 10 years in the UK, it was lovely to discover the shared love of nature between Australians and Finns – nature is truly important to both cultures.
“The relaxed attitude towards life, people being respectful and kind, always interested in the world around them – these similar traits made me feel at home from the start.”
Susanna Heiskanen says she has seen sisu in action in Australia as communities face adversity like natural disasters together.Credit: Brett Hemmings/Getty Images
But she has also seen the way Australians unknowingly tap into the tradition of sisu, most tellingly when conditions push people to the brink and communities come together to support each other through hard times.
“I see a communal spirit here in Australia that mirrors sisu,” Heiskanen says. “Looking at disaster-affected areas, I see sisu in action – people working together towards a common goal, using their inner strength to get through flood or bushfire-ravaged lives, rebuilding their livelihoods and homes.”
It’s a philosophy that Finns continue to draw upon to withstand difficulties, apparently against the odds, she says.
“Sisu is a collective determination that the nation has in abundance,” she says. “I recently saw a documentary about Finnish preparedness against occupation or war – the underground tunnels and halls that are used daily for sports, parking and children’s activities, but can house more people than the entire population of Helsinki. That’s resilience in action: planning ahead and making sure you’re prepared no matter what.
“Sisu is also taught in schools as a concept when discussing history and the meaning of perseverance. We Finns have learned not to give up even when logic says we should. The 1939 Winter War against Russia is a powerful example of this national character.”
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Both women talk about the true strength of sisu being not just in the ability to push on, but also to stop.
“I don’t think you can ever have too much sisu. It’s your superpower for happiness, and there’s never too much happiness in the world,” Heiskanen says. “That said, true sisu also means knowing when to rest and regroup – it’s sustained strength, not reckless stubbornness.”
For Lahti, when pounding the NZ asphalt, the ultimate reckoning came when she listened to what her body was telling her.
“It was a Guinness World Record pursuit and people were watching it, so it was a pressure. But there is always a thing of ‘are we listening to the drumbeat outside or is it our own?’ That’s where the whole thing shifted for me and that’s where our sisu becomes sustainable, when we listen to ourselves.”
In a world full of uncertainty, Lahti says sisu can show a way forward.
“It is something that allows us to push through those hard things,” she says. “But the idea isn’t that we evermore live in societies where we need to use our sisu to simply find a way to survive through our days, but how do we create more compassion and care so that we can strengthen that power within us and use it to build a better environment.
“Sisu lives in this togetherness. It stays not just in you but in me, it lives in between us.”
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