I was just posting on another thread about the Japanese concept of Gaman.... 'a Japanese term of Zen Buddhist origin which means "enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity".'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaman_(term)

It's such a key concept in Japanese culture... I must've heard the term a million times growing up. The idea is that you just suck it up and endure difficult times. Without this concept, my family could never have survived the years after the firebombing of Tokyo... and I would have had trouble with my (much smaller) hard times growing up.

I have always admired public figures who have quietly endured difficulties, like Jackie Robinson when he helped break down the color barrier in baseball:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Robinson#Breaking_the_color_barrier_.281947.29

After I married Bee, I learned that there's a similar term in Korean: cha-muh. Maybe I'm spelling it wrong, because it's not written up as much on the web. But here's a link to get the general idea:
http://blog.crescendoh.com/crescendo/2011/01/words-of-wisdom-dont-quit.html

One of the biggest cultural differences I run into here in America is that there isn't as much of a culture of gaman. I've come across pockets of gaman — for example, in the Midwest — but it's not widespread like it is in some other cultures.

Anyway the short version of this is that I have a lifetime of training in sucking it up. My dad is American though, so I try to channel his pragmatic spirit when it's productive or useful. Otherwise, I do my best to suck it up and to endure.

Are you good at "sucking it up"?