The Assassin Brotherhood, much like any real-life organization, operates by a mantra or maxim— known as the Assassin’s Creed Tenets. Maxims also define the organization’s goals, motives, and convictions. After all, without them, an organization would not be an organization it would be a jagged mess.
As Hidden Ones go about their business of opposing the Templars and fighting the good crusade, what drives them? Templars often see themselves in the limelight, opposed by Assassins that lurk and strike from shadow.
When playing any Assassin’s Creed game, you see yourself playing against a powerful entity. Assassins topple these Templar power structures in all games except AC Rogue. At the cost of lives, Assassins realize their goal of taking down Templars.
But why do the Assassins go to these lengths to achieve their goals? Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted—this is the Assassin’s Creed Tenets.
Nothing is True
If a person looks at the phrase “Nothing is True,” you are met with their interpretations. This variation is the intended goal of the first phrase. Nothing is true pertains to reality as a whole and how people perceive it.
Reality isn’t something that people can know in its entirety. Each person that ever existed had a different perception of what is real. When people hold weight on different things, variation and disunity prevail.
Humanity is born with missing pieces. These pieces are what people strive to get throughout their lives until death. Human experiences also do not cover the infinite cover of reality. After all, each life born into existence sees one small portion of what is real, at a time.
Perhaps this limited worldview might be the reason for solidarity. Solitude is a sort of hardship that is remedied by standing beside each other. In the end, even with numbers, nothing we ever perceive can amount to being true.
Everything is Permitted in the Assassin’s Creed Tenets
If we go by the first half, and indeed nothing is true, then why is everything permitted? Edward Kenway is a better explanation for this same predicament. When a person’s perspective doesn’t signify true reality, it is up to that person to move where they please.
Different people view one thing in different ways. If the perceived world varies in the messages it portrays, how then can one be sure?
The phrase that comes to mind is a personal responsibility. Our decisions also allow us to navigate the world at our whim. After all, no one can tell us how we should see the world. Undoubtedly, it is our job to understand all we see. Ultimately, your decisions define your character and person.
Being responsible for yourself takes strength, and if your choices harm others, expect consequences. You can choose to do whatever you want to do. Just remember that every action has a reaction.
In our world where there are plenty of distractions and paths to take, take a moment to yourself. One’s worldview is limited, look to others and learn from the world to expand it. Look inward, and choose the path that realizes your true potential. We may not be assassins, but their maxim explains the human experience well.
