WEBVTT 00:00:16.709 --> 00:00:19.627 Hi everyone. I'm so excited to be here. 00:00:20.542 --> 00:00:24.775 My name is Emilia Lahti and I'm a researcher. 00:00:24.776 --> 00:00:27.056 Some really smart person once said 00:00:27.057 --> 00:00:30.637 that research is often, in fact, me-search. 00:00:30.638 --> 00:00:32.682 We tend to get interested in things 00:00:32.683 --> 00:00:37.061 which are of some personal significance to us, and I'm no exception. 00:00:37.062 --> 00:00:40.632 What I will share with you today is a discovery 00:00:40.633 --> 00:00:44.980 that has impacted my life and thinking in a really profound way, 00:00:44.981 --> 00:00:49.428 and it originates from a trauma that I survived to, a few years ago. 00:00:50.313 --> 00:00:52.978 As a result of these experiences, 00:00:52.979 --> 00:00:55.320 I became very interested to understand 00:00:55.321 --> 00:00:59.382 how humans persevere in the face of extreme adversity, 00:00:59.383 --> 00:01:01.125 and how do we keep on going 00:01:01.126 --> 00:01:04.319 when we feel that we've reached the end of our capacities. 00:01:04.319 --> 00:01:08.116 I'm sure we can all think of some people like that from our lives. 00:01:08.117 --> 00:01:11.630 Here's one person like that, whose story I would like to briefly share. 00:01:11.631 --> 00:01:14.252 Her name is Kati Lepistö van der Hoeven, 00:01:14.256 --> 00:01:17.278 and she may look like a completely ordinary woman to you 00:01:17.279 --> 00:01:18.846 - well, excluding the fact 00:01:18.847 --> 00:01:23.163 that she looks like some ethereal goddess of Lapland in this photo - 00:01:23.167 --> 00:01:28.876 but, the truth be told, Kati's life is a beautiful ode to human resilience. 00:01:28.879 --> 00:01:32.973 20 years ago, she experienced a massive brain stroke, 00:01:32.974 --> 00:01:36.096 which left her locked inside her physical body. 00:01:36.097 --> 00:01:38.582 Today Kati is able to communicate 00:01:38.583 --> 00:01:43.192 through using eye movements and an alphabetical board. 00:01:43.193 --> 00:01:49.079 For Kati, everyday of her life is a beautiful example 00:01:49.080 --> 00:01:52.323 of how humans push through adversities, 00:01:52.324 --> 00:01:55.479 and an example of how you have to imagine realities 00:01:55.480 --> 00:01:58.946 beyond the current reality that you see. 00:02:01.959 --> 00:02:05.668 I'm so happy to share Kati's story because it's a beautiful Segway 00:02:05.672 --> 00:02:08.134 to what I will share with you next. 00:02:08.136 --> 00:02:11.124 To be her requires something more than just resilience, 00:02:11.125 --> 00:02:13.425 which means to bounce back from adversities, 00:02:13.426 --> 00:02:17.345 or perseverance, which means to strive for a long term goal. 00:02:17.346 --> 00:02:19.625 To be Kati requires something 00:02:19.626 --> 00:02:23.626 that we have in Finland for centuries, known as "sisu." 00:02:24.745 --> 00:02:26.267 "Sisu" is something 00:02:26.268 --> 00:02:31.060 that we pretty much learn before we learn to talk or walk. 00:02:31.061 --> 00:02:37.024 "Sisu" means to be able to strive over extraordinary difficulties, 00:02:37.025 --> 00:02:41.608 and it means to be able to have extraordinary determination and courage 00:02:41.609 --> 00:02:44.076 in the face of extreme adversity. 00:02:44.077 --> 00:02:47.156 It means you don't see a silver lining, 00:02:47.157 --> 00:02:50.113 but you jump into the storm anyways. 00:02:50.114 --> 00:02:53.428 In the core of "sisu" is this beautiful idea 00:02:53.429 --> 00:02:55.245 that there is much more to us 00:02:55.246 --> 00:02:58.957 than what meets the eye at a given moment. 00:02:58.958 --> 00:03:01.261 The thing here is that even though "sisu" 00:03:01.262 --> 00:03:04.217 is so deeply integrated into Finnish culture, 00:03:04.218 --> 00:03:06.445 it's something that bears significance to you 00:03:06.446 --> 00:03:09.104 if you are a human living anywhere in the world. 00:03:09.105 --> 00:03:10.918 We all face adversities, 00:03:10.919 --> 00:03:14.354 and we all have to strive through them somehow. 00:03:14.355 --> 00:03:16.228 "Sisu" is really embodied 00:03:16.229 --> 00:03:20.793 by those who hold on to hope anywhere in the world. 00:03:20.794 --> 00:03:23.951 That is something that is one of my greatest passions 00:03:23.952 --> 00:03:26.125 to talk more about that. 00:03:26.126 --> 00:03:28.624 The thing with "sisu" is 00:03:28.625 --> 00:03:32.730 that it doesn't have a direct translation in any language. 00:03:32.731 --> 00:03:38.130 So it's not merely the Finnish equivalent for willpower or perseverance, 00:03:38.131 --> 00:03:40.154 but is something more than that. 00:03:40.155 --> 00:03:41.830 In the Finnish culture, 00:03:41.831 --> 00:03:46.326 "sisu" is often seen as this mindset or a life philosophy. 00:03:46.327 --> 00:03:50.585 You can associate things such as integrity and honesty to "sisu." 00:03:51.614 --> 00:03:56.101 We have some words which technically could have become the word for "sisu," 00:03:56.102 --> 00:04:01.959 and here is one which is 'periksi, ' 'anta, ' 'matto, ' 00:04:01.959 --> 00:04:06.585 and there is more, 'periksiantamattomuus.' 00:04:06.598 --> 00:04:08.502 For someone who is not Finnish, 00:04:08.503 --> 00:04:11.118 it may take a little bit of "sisu" to even say that. 00:04:13.168 --> 00:04:16.452 "Sisu" has been a big part of our culture for a long time, 00:04:16.454 --> 00:04:21.805 and we haven't been able to necessarily explain what it is in its core. 00:04:21.805 --> 00:04:24.538 I became interested in this. 00:04:24.539 --> 00:04:26.985 One thing that you will definitely find 00:04:26.986 --> 00:04:30.664 if you Google "sisu," is Finns during the Winter war, 00:04:30.665 --> 00:04:33.763 and how we were against this massive opponent, 00:04:33.764 --> 00:04:37.848 and we prevailed against all possible expectations. 00:04:37.849 --> 00:04:41.672 This event raised "sisu" 00:04:41.673 --> 00:04:46.368 to this almost sacred status in Finland for generations to come. 00:04:46.369 --> 00:04:50.098 The New York Times, back in 1940 wrote: 00:04:50.099 --> 00:04:54.010 that "Sisu is the word that describes Finland," 00:04:54.011 --> 00:04:55.869 which is really powerful. 00:04:55.870 --> 00:04:57.217 But at the same time, 00:04:57.218 --> 00:05:00.753 even though "sisu" has been such an integral part of our country, 00:05:00.754 --> 00:05:02.748 I wasn't able to find an answer 00:05:02.749 --> 00:05:07.238 to whether "sisu" is some kind of a character trait, is it a tendency, 00:05:07.239 --> 00:05:09.066 is it just a myth, 00:05:09.067 --> 00:05:13.577 or maybe it's some genetic mutation of people who have to endure 00:05:13.578 --> 00:05:16.144 almost a lifetime without sunlight? 00:05:16.145 --> 00:05:17.635 I don't know. 00:05:17.636 --> 00:05:19.166 I became interested, 00:05:19.167 --> 00:05:21.663 because some happenings in in our life 00:05:21.664 --> 00:05:24.395 always involve a little bit of serendipity. 00:05:24.396 --> 00:05:27.901 In 2012, I happened to meet this wonderful woman 00:05:27.918 --> 00:05:29.536 called Angela Duckworth, 00:05:29.537 --> 00:05:33.800 who's a research psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania. 00:05:33.801 --> 00:05:38.020 I actually crashed Angela's course one wintry February morning, 00:05:38.021 --> 00:05:40.960 where she was talking about her research on grit, 00:05:40.961 --> 00:05:45.690 which stands for passion and perseverance for a long term goal. 00:05:45.691 --> 00:05:47.761 I became interested in seeing 00:05:47.762 --> 00:05:53.089 whether "sisu" and grit somehow overlap, or maybe we can learn something. 00:05:53.090 --> 00:05:57.517 I sent Angela an email with one simple question asking, 00:05:57.518 --> 00:05:59.636 "Have you ever heard of "sisu"?" 00:05:59.637 --> 00:06:03.408 Angela being Angela, of course she had heard of "sisu." 00:06:03.409 --> 00:06:06.440 She affirmed my intuition 00:06:06.441 --> 00:06:11.316 that "sisu" is something worth examining at its own right. 00:06:12.736 --> 00:06:16.469 I think that was the first push to start my own journey 00:06:16.470 --> 00:06:20.240 into the land of "sisu" as a research subject. 00:06:20.241 --> 00:06:24.492 As a result of this, I started looking into other kinds of ideas 00:06:24.493 --> 00:06:28.009 maybe little bit outside the usual scope. 00:06:28.010 --> 00:06:29.737 Then I ran into 00:06:29.738 --> 00:06:35.835 this 19th century philosopher called William James, 00:06:35.836 --> 00:06:40.731 who was saying that we don't know enough about the human spirit, 00:06:40.732 --> 00:06:44.954 and he was saying that we would need to create something 00:06:44.955 --> 00:06:48.385 like a topography of human spirit or human strength, 00:06:48.386 --> 00:06:52.457 which for someone unlike William, who went to Harvard at the age of 12, 00:06:52.458 --> 00:06:54.521 so to put that in plain language: 00:06:54.522 --> 00:06:59.331 to get some kind of an understanding of this map of how do we endure 00:06:59.332 --> 00:07:02.208 significant adversities in our lives. 00:07:02.209 --> 00:07:05.901 Because if we understand that maybe we are better able to understand 00:07:05.902 --> 00:07:09.114 human life and maybe help each other. 00:07:09.124 --> 00:07:11.151 William James also said 00:07:11.152 --> 00:07:14.878 that we rarely run far enough, or push ourselves enough, 00:07:14.879 --> 00:07:18.951 to realize that we have what he called "a second wind." 00:07:18.952 --> 00:07:21.112 Like there is this extra power tank 00:07:21.113 --> 00:07:24.972 or something that gets ignited when we run far enough, 00:07:24.973 --> 00:07:29.632 and it's something that only activates when we really need it. 00:07:29.633 --> 00:07:34.242 This brought "sisu" to my mind and I was really excited to see 00:07:34.243 --> 00:07:38.753 whether understanding "sisu" a bit better could maybe add 00:07:38.754 --> 00:07:42.725 a little piece to this puzzle of this beautiful human experience, 00:07:42.726 --> 00:07:45.363 and maybe we could learn something through this. 00:07:46.923 --> 00:07:50.632 In 2012, I conducted a survey, 00:07:50.633 --> 00:07:54.702 and I wanted to understand the deepest essence of "sisu" 00:07:54.703 --> 00:07:57.512 like what is it really all about. 00:07:57.513 --> 00:08:00.692 One of the main findings about "sisu" was this idea 00:08:00.693 --> 00:08:05.980 that it is some kind of a extraordinary ability for action 00:08:05.981 --> 00:08:07.918 when you feel that you've reached 00:08:07.919 --> 00:08:11.208 the end of your physical or mental abilities. 00:08:11.209 --> 00:08:15.244 So it's more more about that than maybe striving for a long-term goal. 00:08:15.245 --> 00:08:18.274 At the same time, the thing that rose up was 00:08:18.275 --> 00:08:21.356 that "sisu" also seems to render itself different 00:08:21.357 --> 00:08:25.472 from these other psychological capacities that we have. 00:08:25.473 --> 00:08:30.449 For example, resilience refers to the dynamic process 00:08:30.450 --> 00:08:34.032 of positive adaptation to a difficult situation. 00:08:34.033 --> 00:08:37.594 In the core of resilience is this idea to bounce back 00:08:37.595 --> 00:08:41.232 start anew, get your head back above the surface. 00:08:41.234 --> 00:08:44.207 I was thinking that "sisu" is more like 00:08:44.207 --> 00:08:47.124 something that acts as a pathway to this. 00:08:47.125 --> 00:08:49.686 Before you get head back above the surface, 00:08:49.687 --> 00:08:52.275 you need to sometimes fight 00:08:52.276 --> 00:08:55.644 some really strong undercurrents to get there, 00:08:55.645 --> 00:08:58.624 and "sisu" is something that helps us fight first, 00:08:58.625 --> 00:09:01.898 and then we can continue from where we left it. 00:09:01.899 --> 00:09:05.394 Perseverance is striving for a long-term goal and not giving up 00:09:05.395 --> 00:09:07.543 even though you have obstacles along the way, 00:09:07.544 --> 00:09:09.832 so you have your eyes fixed on something. 00:09:09.833 --> 00:09:13.768 Grit that Angela researches is perseverance 00:09:13.769 --> 00:09:17.444 infused with zest and passion. 00:09:17.445 --> 00:09:21.396 With "sisu" it's not so much about passion. 00:09:21.397 --> 00:09:25.043 "Sisu" is really about when you are in that place 00:09:25.044 --> 00:09:28.167 where you feel that there is nowhere to go, 00:09:28.168 --> 00:09:31.814 when you've reached the end of every possible single capacity, 00:09:31.815 --> 00:09:33.721 or you might be at the wrong place. 00:09:33.722 --> 00:09:38.338 You're too short, too slow, something, 00:09:38.339 --> 00:09:41.065 and even people around you are saying 00:09:41.066 --> 00:09:44.124 you shouldn't go there; you are not up for it. 00:09:44.125 --> 00:09:49.374 "Sisu" is that something that pushes us beyond the boundaries. 00:09:50.754 --> 00:09:52.324 In short, you could say 00:09:52.325 --> 00:09:57.161 that "sisu" is more about the short term intensity in that moment, 00:09:57.162 --> 00:10:00.848 and not so much about the long-term stamina; 00:10:00.849 --> 00:10:04.089 This is this a very important distinction. 00:10:06.561 --> 00:10:09.214 At the same time when it's this power capacity, 00:10:09.215 --> 00:10:14.331 it also seems to give rise to what I call 'an action mindset.' 00:10:14.332 --> 00:10:21.584 An action mindset is this consistent, courageous approach toward challenges. 00:10:21.585 --> 00:10:25.167 It's so beautiful to think that if this represents 00:10:25.168 --> 00:10:29.800 your opportunities and the limitations of the current moment, 00:10:29.801 --> 00:10:35.192 there is something that evokes this vision of you in the future 00:10:35.193 --> 00:10:39.498 where you might be able to go if you dare to reach. 00:10:39.499 --> 00:10:43.532 There is something that elicits hope in "sisu" 00:10:43.533 --> 00:10:48.142 what is one of the most exciting things to me about this construct, honestly. 00:10:48.143 --> 00:10:51.627 But at the same time, as you can see from my slide, 00:10:51.628 --> 00:10:54.241 it's kind of scattered around. 00:10:54.242 --> 00:10:57.261 I was trying to find a way to describe "sisu" in a way 00:10:57.262 --> 00:11:00.124 that would pull everything together 00:11:00.125 --> 00:11:06.001 because it seems to be so multilayered and so nuanced, and so extraordinary. 00:11:06.015 --> 00:11:09.518 One evening when I was watching Cosmos, 00:11:09.519 --> 00:11:12.612 I started thinking that maybe, 00:11:12.613 --> 00:11:17.179 the solution to this is right in front of my eyes. 00:11:18.599 --> 00:11:20.875 I thought of the carbon atom 00:11:20.876 --> 00:11:25.210 and how carbon is this unique, otherworldly amazing atom 00:11:25.225 --> 00:11:28.001 because it's the only thing that's able to bond 00:11:28.002 --> 00:11:32.907 with up to four atoms at the same time and with itself. 00:11:32.908 --> 00:11:37.136 In that way, it creates a system 00:11:37.137 --> 00:11:41.040 which enables the bigger entity to function. 00:11:41.041 --> 00:11:45.583 If you look at this molecular diagram you can see that maybe, 00:11:45.584 --> 00:11:51.290 "sisu" is like the carbon atom would be in this diagram. 00:11:51.291 --> 00:11:57.389 Something that is this life-enabling agent or creative power. 00:11:57.390 --> 00:12:02.910 Something that helps build a bridge between this moment and the next one. 00:12:04.494 --> 00:12:08.341 I think that's one of the core ideas, 00:12:08.342 --> 00:12:12.481 and why I feel like "sisu" could be something that could help us 00:12:12.482 --> 00:12:15.599 see we could use that in the future to empower people. 00:12:16.718 --> 00:12:19.717 The thing is "sisu" is nothing new to you 00:12:19.718 --> 00:12:22.551 if you've encountered adversities in your life. 00:12:22.552 --> 00:12:25.937 It's just that you might have not had a word for it. 00:12:28.634 --> 00:12:34.251 We could say that future is first an idea, or it's a story that we tell each other, 00:12:34.252 --> 00:12:38.509 so as long as we don't have a word for some phenomena or a construct, 00:12:38.510 --> 00:12:42.994 we sometimes fail to tap into its potential that it withholds. 00:12:42.995 --> 00:12:46.014 We are a sense-making species, 00:12:48.034 --> 00:12:52.777 we try to understand the events in our lives through these constructs, 00:12:52.778 --> 00:12:56.065 and we pass on knowledge through using the stories; 00:12:56.066 --> 00:13:00.418 and we also learn and find meaning in our lives 00:13:00.419 --> 00:13:02.916 through reflecting on these stories. 00:13:05.857 --> 00:13:11.236 I found "sisu" through this similar self-reflective process, 00:13:11.237 --> 00:13:14.999 I found "sisu" through my struggle. 00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:20.449 What I am doing today... All began as this one woman's quest 00:13:20.450 --> 00:13:23.927 to make some sense of what had happened 00:13:23.928 --> 00:13:27.396 and how she somehow survived. 00:13:29.607 --> 00:13:31.337 After a while I realized 00:13:32.937 --> 00:13:37.219 that whatever I was doing in trying to figure my own shit out, 00:13:37.220 --> 00:13:40.517 was actually helping other people as well. 00:13:40.518 --> 00:13:42.929 That was a wonderful discovery, 00:13:42.930 --> 00:13:46.869 how you can see people come together when we inspire each other, 00:13:46.870 --> 00:13:49.650 because we are all in this together. 00:13:49.651 --> 00:13:54.085 As a result of that, I quit my job - which I had for a very long time - 00:13:54.086 --> 00:13:56.391 and I went back to school and study psychology, 00:13:56.392 --> 00:13:58.726 which always was my first love. 00:14:00.026 --> 00:14:03.219 I wanted to see what we could possibly do with this thing. 00:14:03.220 --> 00:14:06.939 Today, this "sisu" and the topics around it 00:14:06.940 --> 00:14:09.660 is really the reason why I wake up each morning. 00:14:12.250 --> 00:14:15.542 With my amazing team at Filosofian Akatemia, 00:14:15.560 --> 00:14:20.100 we are really excited to bring "sisu" to the world 00:14:20.101 --> 00:14:23.874 because there is so much amazing potential in it. 00:14:23.875 --> 00:14:28.312 Next year will be 'the Year of Sisu' globally, 00:14:28.313 --> 00:14:32.161 and February 28th will be the 'Day of Sisu' in Finland, 00:14:32.162 --> 00:14:34.501 which actually is already in our calendars; 00:14:34.502 --> 00:14:37.132 if you check you will find it. 00:14:37.133 --> 00:14:39.118 The reason why we are doing this is 00:14:39.119 --> 00:14:45.241 because we are share collectively adversities, we all encounter them. 00:14:45.242 --> 00:14:51.225 What we also share is this amazing ability to overcome them. 00:14:51.226 --> 00:14:54.143 That's in the core of this idea of the 'Year of Sisu, ' 00:14:54.144 --> 00:15:00.477 to inspire people to transform those barriers into frontiers, 00:15:00.478 --> 00:15:05.838 and more importantly, to support each other in this process, 00:15:05.839 --> 00:15:09.157 to see that the strength within them 00:15:09.158 --> 00:15:13.174 is stronger than the adversities that we often encounter. 00:15:15.853 --> 00:15:18.383 Since "sisu" is such a powerful thing 00:15:18.384 --> 00:15:22.220 it's important to remind that we shouldn't be fooled to think 00:15:22.221 --> 00:15:25.350 that it's the only thing we need, and "sisu" alone. 00:15:25.351 --> 00:15:27.589 Just push hard; that's it. 00:15:29.252 --> 00:15:31.633 To answer the question what enabled me 00:15:31.634 --> 00:15:36.420 to go through my own experiences was definitely yes, I had "sisu"! 00:15:36.421 --> 00:15:39.318 I kept on showing up for life, and I didn't give up, 00:15:39.319 --> 00:15:42.540 although I felt like doing so many times. 00:15:43.967 --> 00:15:47.694 But there is one thing which just cannot be left unsaid, 00:15:47.695 --> 00:15:51.118 and it's that I had someone 00:15:51.119 --> 00:15:54.853 who believed in me before I believed in myself, 00:15:56.533 --> 00:16:01.626 and who saw this angel in that raw piece of marble before I saw it, 00:16:01.627 --> 00:16:05.885 and who also stuck around long enough to discover it. 00:16:07.685 --> 00:16:11.422 That person is my best friend and now husband. 00:16:11.423 --> 00:16:16.582 We have an immense power to open doors for each other 00:16:16.583 --> 00:16:18.764 and also close them. 00:16:18.765 --> 00:16:23.709 Through our actions, through our gestures, through our words. 00:16:25.305 --> 00:16:27.976 I believe that when "sisu," 00:16:27.977 --> 00:16:31.991 this inner amazing, beautiful power that we have, 00:16:31.992 --> 00:16:36.634 when that is met with social support, compassion, and love, 00:16:36.635 --> 00:16:41.430 there are very few things that are impossible to us. 00:16:42.620 --> 00:16:45.743 This sculpture here is one of my favorite ones. 00:16:45.744 --> 00:16:50.684 It was created to celebrate triumph over a massive sea battle. 00:16:50.685 --> 00:16:55.005 It depicts the goddess Nike, "Nike" meaning victory. 00:16:55.006 --> 00:16:58.798 She is over 2,5 meters tall and 2,000 years old. 00:17:00.388 --> 00:17:03.893 One of the most beautiful, moving things about this sculpture for me, 00:17:03.894 --> 00:17:05.747 and why it is my favorite, 00:17:05.748 --> 00:17:10.820 is that, despite this significant damage and incompleteness 00:17:12.161 --> 00:17:17.219 this sculpture is one of the most celebrated and valued masterpieces 00:17:17.220 --> 00:17:19.688 of our human history. 00:17:19.689 --> 00:17:20.991 And I believe 00:17:23.241 --> 00:17:26.464 that's something that we can transport to our daily lives. 00:17:26.465 --> 00:17:28.922 How, if we see each other, 00:17:28.923 --> 00:17:33.152 despite some imperfections, some bumps, 00:17:33.153 --> 00:17:36.084 but with that potential and beauty, 00:17:36.085 --> 00:17:38.434 maybe we can help create a world 00:17:38.435 --> 00:17:43.414 where we are able to heal, and flourish, and exceed ourselves. 00:17:46.486 --> 00:17:50.586 I strongly believe that there is so much more to us than what meets the eye, 00:17:50.587 --> 00:17:53.217 and I'm not just talking about carbon atoms, 00:17:53.218 --> 00:17:59.086 but I'm talking about this other kind of life-giving ingredient called "sisu." 00:18:00.456 --> 00:18:04.617 I believe that if we acknowledge and we celebrate 00:18:04.618 --> 00:18:07.574 this amazing potential within all of us, 00:18:07.575 --> 00:18:09.612 this universal potential 00:18:09.613 --> 00:18:14.076 which goes beyond cultural boundaries and geographical boundaries, 00:18:14.077 --> 00:18:19.258 if we include "sisu" in our collective conversation of our future, 00:18:19.259 --> 00:18:24.938 maybe, not only are we able to empower individuals here and there 00:18:24.939 --> 00:18:30.774 but perhaps, we are able to bring this human family a bit closer together. 00:18:32.164 --> 00:18:35.268 That, I believe, is an idea worth sharing. 00:18:35.269 --> 00:18:36.924 Thank you. 00:18:36.925 --> 00:18:38.455 (Applause)