Sisu is the Finnish word for grit, resilience, and determination in facing difficulty. According to a Seattle Times story in January, the concept has its origins in Finland’s resistance to the Soviet Union during the Second World War. It continues today in a Finnish culture that encourages self-reliance from an early age: “raising little warriors, not worriers” as noted by San Francisco author Uyai Dennis. As Finland consistently ranks amongst the happiest nations, perhaps we all could learn from sisu.

A different world

When I read the Seattle Times article, I thought of my granddaughter, struggling to write a college essay on the topic of overcoming adversity. Turning an accusing glare on her mother, she said, “I can’t do this! You never exposed me to any adversity!” Of course the parents of teenagers are always in the wrong, but here she may have hit on a truth. My daughter’s style of parenting is certainly different from mine. My kids were “free-range”: playing in the woods behind our house until hunger brought them home. This was more the result of neglect while I pursued a demanding career than a conscious child-rearing philosophy. My daughter also works full-time at an important job, but yet she finds the time and energy to organize after-school activities, summer camps, and play dates. It’s a different world today.

Wartime sisu

After Daughters of Riga was published, several reviews noted themes of resilience and courage shown by the every day characters that populate the World War 2 novel. I don’t write to a theme. I think preoccupation with themes distorts the story, and I’m all about The Story. However, these comments inspired me to seek out other accounts by ordinary people who survived hardship, displacement, and loss with dignity and strength. They were not hard to find. I began to lead writing workshops with elders at assisted living facilities and senior centers. Often little writing takes place at these sessions. But I hear stories rich with wisdom, humor, and a kind of self-effacing heroism that I now recognize as sisu.

A new generation

But sisu is not limited to The Greatest Generation or aging Boomers. Our current national chaos caused by a corrupt president and his administration, enabled by Republicans in Congress, and blessed by the Supreme Court, has inspired younger generations to activism. Catching the end of an NPR broadcast, I learned of a young food critic and internet influencer who has pivoted full-time to assembling an archive of ICE activities in Los Angeles. In Minneapolis, small business owners have made their stores and cafes collection points and places of refuge for their immigrant neighbors. Here in my small home town, street protests, peopled mainly by seniors during the first Trump administration, are doubling in size and frequency with the addition of young people.

Young people have indeed grown up in a different world. They had their education disrupted by COVID, and face an uncertain career landscape due to Artificial Intelligence. The American Dream of home ownership is beyond the reach of all but the rich, and Climate Change threatens their very existence. They have reason to be worriers. And yet, like the generations before them, they are prepared to be warriors too.

When my granddaughter—now a college freshman—adds #fuckice to her social media post, she’s not just complaining about poor skiing conditions.