One of the most fascinating historical events I’ve learned recently is the Winter War. The year was 1939 – two months after the start of World War II – and the Soviets decided to invade Finland to take back territory lost during the Russian Civil War. I won’t go into too many details, but I think it’s significant to mention that the Soviets had three times as many soldiers as the Finns, thirty times as many aircraft, and a hundred times as many tanks.
In true Spartan fashion, the Finns doubled down…and wreaked havoc, using fast-moving light infantry, snipers, and machine gunners to inflict heavy damage. They were able to destroy over 2,000 Soviet tanks by jamming the tracks with logs and detonating Molotov cocktails into the fuel tanks. In one key battle, the Finns killed over 17,500 Soviet troops while losing only 250 of their own men.
Understanding how the Finns were able to accomplish this and understanding Finns in general require knowledge of the word sisu. Sisu does not have a proper translation in any other language, but the closest descriptions in English include strength of will, determination, and acting rationally in the face of diversity. In more casual-speak, sisu means “having grit.”
Former Finnish F1 racer Mika Hakkinen describes it best when he says that climbing a tree and jumping down doesn’t mean sisu (according to him that’s stupidity). Sisu is more like rally car racing in a forest, and you need courage to brake late, hit the throttle early, and go very close to the apex of the corners. Sisu, according to TIME Magazine, is ”the ability to keep fighting after most people would have quit, and to fight with the will to win.”
In a culture that stresses bravado rather than bravery, words rather than action, the word sisu is an amazing reminder to strive for true courage and to find the inner strength to overcome tough times and challenges. It’s one of my new favorite words and an ideal that I will try my best to achieve.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisu
http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/navalbattles1900today/p/winterwar.htm
http://www.nectareal.com/mika-hakkinen-shows-whym-finns-can-drive/
Race some cars at www.RandomTidbitsofThought.com.
