Sisu

I have had 'sisu' held up before me forever. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the first word my parents coaxed out of me. I read once where Americans teach their babies to say nouns, naming every little object in sight; the Japanese teach thier babies the words of politeness, excuse me, please, thank you; what is with Finns, teaching tender children 'sisu?'

Sitting on my older computer tower is the word created out of negative space in white on blue, the colors of the Finnish flag. The little three dimensional plaque was made by a pastor friend of my parents. Sometimes I can make out the word and other times when looking at it, it eludes me completely. Sisu is like that. When it is absent one cannot go through the wall, with it nothing is impossible.

Prof. John Maeda of MIT Media Lab, in his Simplicity blog, starts today with the Japanese word, "Gaman. This is a Japanese word to describe the concept of enduring pain. In Japan, it is considered a certain strength to be able to withstand uncomfortable situations." The comprable Finnish word must be Sisu.

There is undoubtedly something heroic in enduring pain and attempting to do the impossible. To tell the truth, sometimes just getting the daily tasks done, and then doing just a little bit extra in order to avoid feeling like a complete slug, feels like enough. But one can never quite do 'enough.' What is there about the human soul that wants to stive to be a little more compassionate, a little happier than you feel, to reach for above average.

After watching Luther on PBS last night, I know a little about how he felt before he discovered faith and grace. Now, how can faith and grace be enough when one doesn't have to even think about 'gaman' or 'sisu' to find it. Is life actually easier than we try to make it?