This article first appeared in Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on July 15, 2019 - July 21, 2019

The limits of my language mean the limits of my world. — Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951)

Adversities are an unavoidable aspect of life. They appear when least expected and they leave chaos in their wake. They impact not only the individual but also his whole ecosystem. In the face of adversity, we can really take the measure of a man.

My younger brother Fauzi is one of the strongest people I know. When he was 47 and had just come back to Malaysia after a stint in Stockholm, he was diagnosed with cancer. As a close-knit family, we were rattled, but instead of giving up, my brother fought back. He faced the dreaded big C and lived to tell the tale.

My brother and I have always been close, two siblings who fought, laughed and loved a lot but sometimes the people you know best can still surprise you. When he was undergoing numerous painful chemotherapy treatments, I saw something in Fauzi I had not realised was there — an incredible well of perseverance and courage — which he used to overcome his life’s toughest challenge. I was inspired, as I still am, by his heroic struggle and know that he is not alone in finding what it takes within him during an immense period of personal trial.

Although Fauzi was the one who was truly suffering, my family and I were also sick with worry and disbelief. It was the most terrifying time of our lives but we drew strength from his resilience. Seeing his determination made us stronger too. We knew we had to be, to provide him with the emotional support he deserved. He was also lucky that he had a wife who sacrificed everything to be by his side in his hour of need.

But even when I just wanted to drop everything and head to the hospital to be with him — talking to him or teasing him through all those treatments, as brothers are wont to do — I had to press forward and keep living my day-to-day life. My entire family had to keep going, even though it was hard to do so.

Watching his wife and the rest of his family find what it takes within themselves and use it to remain confident that Fauzi was going to be okay was also inspiring. We believed he was going to beat this thing. And he did.

Seeing him dig deep within himself to access an inner power to prevail was amazing. I think he even surprised himself. Indeed, my brother had what it takes. He showed that he had the extraordinary determination, courage and resoluteness in the face of extreme adversity.

He had the action mindset that enables individuals like him to reach beyond their present limitations, to see an invisible future of possibilities.

I call it what it takes — the courage and determination to run the whole course. Yet others call it the “Right Stuff” after a 1979 book written by Tom Wolfe, in which the quality was attributed to US test pilots attempting to break the sound barrier at the time.

Recently, psychologist Angela Lee Duckworth made it more famous by calling it “grit” — striving for a goal you care about so much that it organises and gives meaning to almost everything you do. And grit is holding steadfast to that goal. Even when you fall down. Even when progress towards it is halting or slow.

But the Finns have a better word for it — sisu — a simple two-syllable construct that relates to mental toughness and the ability to endure significant stress while taking action against seemingly impossible odds. Sisu is a grim, gritty, white-knuckle form of courage that is present in situations where success is against the odds. What a phenomenal addition to any fighter’s lexicon of hope!

It is even said that one cannot really understand the hardy Finns without understanding the meaning of sisu. It is a term I posit that we need to chart a course for a better Malaysia in these extraordinary, unpredictable times.

Sisu is not just a term of hope. It is an “action mindset”, a consistent and courageous approach to challenges that enables individuals to see beyond their present limitations and into what might be. It is a spirit that digs deep into one’s indomitable resolve, to successfully pursue better outcomes for all.

Sisu should be introduced to mainstream Malaysia and perhaps ingrained in the minds of some of our leaders so that they may provide examples of courage, grit, perseverance and resistance to “satisfication”.

The term “satisficing”, a portmanteau of satisfy and suffice, was introduced by the late Nobel laureate Herbert A Simon of Carnegie Mellon University, to explain the behaviour of leaders under circumstances in which an optimal solution cannot be determined. Remember the quote “Good is the enemy of Great?” Satisficing is exactly that!

Question: What comes after perseverance? After you feel like you have reached your limit, exhausted all your resources and there does not seem to be anything left to tap into?

Answer: Sisu — the philosophy that what must be done will be done, regardless of what it takes. It is a special strength and persistent determination and resolve to continue and overcome in a moment of adversity.

Personally, my brother has shown me that his time in Scandinavia was not wasted. He found sisu — an indomitable spirit within all of us, a reservoir of hope that has always been crucial to the survival of our species. Long may it live.

Zakie Shariff is managing partner of Kuber Venture Bhd, a specialist investment company. He is also a director of Universiti Malaysia Pahang.

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