The psychology of a ninja is supposed to be cold, calculating, and heartless. No emotion can be allowed to interfere with the mission. Emotions are for weaker creatures, like mortal men.
At least, that's my twelve-year-old self's understanding of ninja psychology, and it seems echoed in our modern perception of the businessman, the sports hero, or any other power-and-performance based public figure.
But as I get older it doesn't seem to add up. I've done enough physical training now to know that separating yourself from your feelings is not an effective way of staying engaged and focused.
Try looking up any exercise music mix on YouTube. Almost none of them will have music that is cool and dispassionate. Rather, they are all designed to pump your emotions up, stirring the fight or flight instinct and telling you to fight, dammit!
Motivational psychology also suggests that we perform best when driven by intrinsic goals. That is, someone who wants to do a good job will work harder than someone who will get paid for doing a good job. According to Daniel Pink in his book, Drive, paying someone to work hard can even reduce motivation.
What all this adds up to is that a real ninja cannot be separated from his or her emotions. Rather, those of us in pursuit of ninjaness must find a way to keep ourselves in an optimal emotional state for training and accomplishment, and that's not so simple as just having a grim face and trying not to feel anything.
So if this blog seems preoccupied, at least for now, with emotional balance, that's because emotional balance (that is, the Spirit element in the classic Mind, Body, Spirit model) is the most critical. The limitations of a broken body can be overcome by a strong spirit. Even difficulties of the mind can only be made better if your spirit is strong. But the healthiest body and mind will flounder if the spirit falters.
My spirit has been stumbling lately. But hopefully this blog will document a recovery of spirit and the physical and mental victories which result.
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