Right now I am sitting at Seattle Coffee House, with a coffee to my right, a book to my left, and my PowerBook in between. Normally, I’m a breaker of stereotypes, but the other day I realized that there is one stereotype I’ve unintentionally joined, I became a PowerBook owning blogger and programmer with a Flickr account. There are a good number of us around, out there in the world. I didn’t choose to buy a PowerBook for this reason; I bought it because it was a UNIX based environment with all the open source tools I use. Pretty much the best of both the Windows and Linux worlds, good GUI with UNIX core, and runs everything I need. I think what caught my attention of Apple was all the attention it got on the net, and my conversations with a hardcore Mac friend. It’s been a great computer that’s worked for me, instead of the other way around.
I think it was about a month or so ago I was listening to some friends elaborate on the positive and negative benefits of getting a tattoo. I think I was probably asked what I thought about the issue, but I didn’t really speak up. Sometimes I don’t speak up because I either don’t have the opportunity to jump into the conversation—I’m not really the type to force my way—or my opinion has yet developed into a form where my explanation would make any sense.
A lot of people have good reasons for getting tattoos, spiritual reasons too. I’m not a hundred percent sure what all of them are, but I think one might be that it expresses something about their relationship with God. If you know of some other good reasons feel free to post a comment.
Other people have good reasons for not getting them. A friend of mine received a little note in her mailbox quoting Leviticus 19:28:
“You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the LORD.”
Good advice for sure, but the person who wrote it was so charged for concern for my friend that he or she forgot to write their name on the note. I just thought it was hurtful to community to pass anonymous notes around with the intent of forcing guilt, and therefore communicating the idea that if I do not follow this specific way of life, then the community does not love me. I wouldn’t mind getting a letter from a friend, or even someone that I do not know saying, “Brian, I care about you and don’t think that you should do this. Love, your friend.” This way, despite whatever my dumb decision might be, someone is expressing their love.
Back to the discussion I was having earlier about tattoos. I didn’t see in problems with her reasoning for getting a tattoo, the spiritual reasons, but there was something else. The person who was having this discussion was looking for justification of her decision to get a tattoo. If she needs justification, then there must be some opposing force stopping her from just getting a tattoo. This force could be her conscience, her desire to be obedient to God, or it could simply just be her parents. She needs a reason for justifying to her parents why she made the decision to rebel against their will, and ease her conscience a little.
I think probably one of the greatest acts of love we can give to someone is to be submissive, sacrifice something of our own will or desire for their benefit. The issue to wrestle with when getting a tattoo is not the legalities, but whether or not I’m hurting someone else because of my decision. It’s not a decision I make for myself, but for someone else. I think tattoos are trivial things really, I could be wrong, but at least to me it’s trivial. Even if it’s not a trivial issue, but rather a big issue, if you give that up for someone else… then wow, do you realize what you’ve just done? You have given something up something that has meant a lot to you for someone else.
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. –John 15:12-13
You think your parents don’t deserve this selfless treatment from you because all your life they’ve been jerks to you? Well, you have finally realized what the cross is about, the pain Jesus went through, and the feeling that goes through God’s mind every time we choose to walk away from him.
Anyway, yesterday I decided I was going to get a tattoo. I figured since both my grandma and grandpa have them that I might as well get one too. In fact, in the photos that I have seen of them, both of them are covered in tattoos, and I think they even have a few on their necks. And also being that they lived in the jungles and longhouses of Borneo, all of the tattoos were done the old fashion way—think pain. However, each one of their tattoos tells a story about their life, something they did—my tattoos would do the same. So when I look at their pictures, covered with tattoos, I think to myself that they must have a lot with their lives. So, my plan is to get a tattoo when I’m 87, if I make it that long. That way if I don’t like them I will only have five or so years to live with them, instead of forty.
I hope I’ll have enough stories to cover myself in tattoos.
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