(JaiChai) - "Assassin?" - from the "Imagine That" Collection
Subtitled: "Life as an assumed assassin..."
It was uber-weird to me.
If you saw me in person and in civilian clothes, I look like an average Asian man. If we were in any European or Arab country, you could easily assume that I was somebody's meek, Asian driver or cook.
But put a uniform on me, replete with those two “itty-bitty” pins, and I’m magically transformed into some mysterious, dark-hearted assassin?
No sh*t. On the rare occasions when time constraints forced me to shop in my uniform, the reactions from other shoppers were the same - admiration, disgust or fear. Whenever I needed an item near a crowd of shoppers and started to walk in their direction, the scene was like the parting of the Red Sea - or maybe the wide berth given to leprosy victims.
Assassin?
The word assassin always makes me chuckle. It comes from the word “Hassassin” – a medieval group of individuals who conducted guerilla warfare style raids against the invading Crusaders and rumored to use hashish in their rituals.
According to legend, hashish was used in the form of a magic potion. The famous “Marco Polo” accounts of the assassins and their leader tell a story of the “Old Man of the Mountain” believed to be Hasan-i-Sabbah, leader of the Nizari Ismaili militant group.
It is said that he drugged prospective recruits and brought them to a “Paradise” that he’d setup in a secret, secluded compound. Once there, the recruits were provided everything they desired - wine, women, song, etc. Soon afterward, they were drugged again and brought back before the Leader.
Then the Leader promised them a guaranteed trip back to Paradise, but only if they served him - or died in his service. Either way, alive or dead, completed service resulted in a return to paradise for the faithful warrior (or their souls).
Assassins were highly trained killers that belonged to a group of small, but deadly armies. They meandered through the lands to defend the populace from the Christian Marauders - the Crusaders.
They soon became known as “Hassassins.” Over time, the word changed into “assassin"...
(Excerpted from and continued in "The Angel of Mercy. The Assassins. And the Absurdity of Life." https://steemit.com/life/@jaichai/the-angel-of-mercy-the-assassins-and-the-absurdity-of-life)
This image is #1 of 3 rare (only three minted), signed and non-watermarked NFTs of "Assassin?" - from the "Imagine That" Digital Art collection.
Available HERE:
May you and yours be well and loving life today.
In Lak'ech, JaiChai
(JaiChai 06 DEC 2021. Simultaneous multi-site submissions posted. All rights reserved.)