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忍法
Ninpô: Patience Method

Yeah, that`s my method. However, "patience method" is not really doing justice to the term. You could say that it`s more like the "patience law" or the "patience path" than just a simple method. But, still -- it`s not only about patience.

忍
Nin: Patience, Endurance, Stealth

Word. Like I said, it`s not only about patience. Nin (or Shinobi) means a whole lot more than patience the way we perceive it(1). Endurance, stealth, patience - war virtues much? Yes. "Break it down like this."


刃
Yaiba: Blade

Nin`s upper radical is read Yaiba, which refers to the cutting edge of a blade. "What the hell does patience have to do with blades?" Patience.

心
Kokoro: Heart

Nin`s lower radical is read Kokoro (or Shin), which translates to heart. "Blades, hearts... What the hell?" Patience.

"Having a heart that cuts like the edge of the blade."
Yes, patience. The virtue of waiting silently till your goal is reached.
Yes, endurance. A sharp heart that will sustain all sorts of mishaps.
Yes, stealth. A silent weapon that remains unnoticed, yet effective.

And what kind of a person would be patient, enduring pain and remain effective while keeping everything on the down low?


忍者
I`ll let you figure out yourselves how this is read.

Peace.

(1): The Greek word for patience is "õðïìïíÞ" (read ipomoni). "ÕðïìÝíù" (read ipomeno) is a verb for "being patient", but its direct translation is "to sustain". "Õðü" (read ipo) means "under" and "below". "ÌÝíù" (read meno) is "to stay", "to remain". "To remain under." Stealth much?

“A warrior of light knows his own faults. But he also knows his qualities. Some of his companions complain all the time that ‘other people have more opportunities than we do.’ Perhaps they are right, but a warrior does not allow himself to be paralyzed by this; he tries to make the most of his virtues. He knows that the gazelle`s power lies in its strong legs. The power of the seagull lies in the accuracy with which it can spear a fish. He has learned that the reason the tiger does not fear the hyena is because he is aware of his own strength. He tries to establish what he can truly rely on. And he always checks that he carries three things with him: faith, hope and love. If these three things are there, he does not hesitate to go forward.”(1)

Nobody’s perfect, right? In the quarter of the century that has passed ever since I started playing on this level of the game(2), I’ve come across people who thought different. They thought they were perfect. Flawless. Absolutely superior. The next step in the evolution of the species. And what a load of crap that is. Then again, I think different too. I think that each and everyone of us has the potential for being perfect, just because we all have flaws (and as you may have noticed, I just love an oxymoron).
“We’re in the warp!”
“OK, shit’s great. [...] I posses the greatest knowledge of all. I know that I don’t know shit. I also know that I’ll probably never know shit. Yet, I know that the fact that I don’t know shit is the greatest knowledge of all. Cliche and all that, yeah. It’s like the white belt. Traditionally, a beginner wears a black belt, signifying his lack of knowledge and the purity of his mind, soul and heart. With years of study, effort, sweat, blood and pain, the white fabric tied around the practitioner’s waist gets stained and turns brown. After more study, effort etc., etc., it turns black. The Black Belt. Some never get to reach that level, some get the Black Belt and quit, ‘cause they think it’s the end.”(3)
With even more years of effort, the Black Belt starts losing its fibers. Slowly, the black fabric goes back to white. And you know nothing again. A flaw? Yeah, but you are happy again, because you realize it. You know that you don’t know. You are fighting for the light. You really are perfect, because you know you can’t be flawless.

(1): Coehlo, Paulo, “Manual of the Warrior of Light”, trans. Margaret Jull Costa, Harper Collins, UK, 2002.
(2): In the spirit of my views on life being like a video game. More soon.
(3): Originally written in my personal journal, circa Dec. `03, the passage titled "Overcome" became a skit in Mikros Kleftis` latest album, "Oso Akous Mathenis."