Tattoos: Art or Self-Mutilation?

I know! I know!!

// does a little dance

 

It is in the social thread as well.

Welcome back K_R

 

"Do you honestly believe, though, that the sole purpose of art is to find/express truth?"

Yes, I do.

But, I don't mean truth in the logical sense, but truth in the metaphysical one.

 

In the particular style of Kung Fu that I do it is almost expected that when you get a black belt (black sash) that you put the five families that make up (tsoi, li, hoi, fut, hung in chinese of course) Kung Fu San Soo somewhere on your body. I haven't done this yet (much to the consternation of some), but I'm thinking of putting them on my spine.

Would that hurt much? I suppose it doesn't really matter.

 

from what I hear, it hurts alot on the spine...it wasn't bad on the arm at all..


Ahhh, metaphysical truth. The most elusive truth there is...and also the most common...it's just hard to see for what it is.


I guess mine is really an expression of love over anything else....and membership.

 

"For the Horde!"

 

Mine would be a sign of membership as well, but in addition it would be a sign of understanding, and possibly warning...

I'm still not convinced I should do it. Once it's done it's forever (I don't want to have it zapped off). Plus it's a mark that says to anyone who can read it: Hey look at what this guy knows!

 

I agree that tattoos can be incredibly spiritual. Celtics used to get tattoos after they had gone through certain trials to show their devotion to the Goddess. Also, the so-called "Iceman" that they found in the Himalayas had several tattoos that they believe either had some medicinal or spiritual meaning.

Personally, I don't take tattoos lightly. I believe it's something that's on your physical body forever so I wouldn't get something like a pot leaf or name or something silly. It's something you're going to have to live with your entire life. It should have some spiritual meaning to you.

 

I was concerned about the permanence too, but then I decided it was a sign of the permanence of my membership to this unique group who sleep on teh sidewalk for charity and fun....plus I did it for the one true love of my life. I know that's cliche and corny as all get out, but I have no doubt I'm going to be with her the rest of my life. If we could survive these past two years together, then we can survive anything...

Plus, think about this, zapping is the technology for removal today. There was no real technology to remove them a few years ago, in 20 years the removal process could be painless and fast. Who knows?

 

gwaernardel, there is definetly a spiritual aspect to it. I wouldn't just put it on because everyone else was doing it. Believe me they would also symbolize all the pain, blood, sweat, and tears I've been through. However, part of me still thinks that all of that can be seen in the art of Kung Fu and the level of proficiency I have reached. I guess that's why I haven't done it yet...

Kessel Runner, the pain thing doesn't really scare me all that much...I have a friend of mine who had a child and after she was out of the hospital she said, "I don't know what all these woment complain about, I've had worse pain on the mat."

!!!


Good point about the zapping being the tech of today.

 

I love that my tatt has multiple levels of symbolism and meaning. It's artistic, it's SW related, it's a symbol of my love for my fiance, membership into a unique and special bond with a group of fellow fans, and it has a spiritual appearance...

To complete out the spiritual angle on it, the phrase I intend to circle it with (in aurebesh as earlier mentioned) will probably be one of the following:

Let Go Your Conscience Self
Luminous Beings are We, not this Crude Matter
For My Ally is the Force, and a Powerful Ally it is
Do or Do Not...There is No Try

I'm leaning towards one of the first two.

 

I'd say go with the second or the fourth.

 

See the 4th is so often quoted that I want to avoid it. I'll probably go with the first. But that's the biggest problem with tattooing. You better make sure you get what you want because if it isn't what you want you're screwed.... In the end I like it well enough, but on the one I have, for example, I would have done slightly different colors (a darker green and blue). Who knows maybe I can get a touch-up when I get the aurebesh added.

 

Luminous Beings are We, not this Crude Matter

This statement has a ton of meaning for me. My journey to understanding this started with the scientific. Einstein's theory of relativity tells us that matter=energy and energy=matter. I started looking into this and found that there are some other advanced theories in physics that have evidence to support this.

Anyway, my search/experience has been broadened by my study of ki. It's a Japanese term that translates to spirit, among many other things). It's basically analogous to the force. One can use it to heal from a distance, sense your surrounding without using your eyes, move objects, throw people without touching them, knock someone out from a distance, protect yourself from a blow with a sledgehammer, sense another's thoughts...etc. I've seen some of the things I've described done in real life...in my life, but that's another thread in and of itself.

Anyway, you can commence laughter as I'm sure some will.

 

If I ever got a tatoo, it would be something that had meaning to me, a life-long passion, and/or symbolizing something more spiritual.

I might never get the words of yoda tatooed but it would have the same meaning

My boyfriend is considering getting a tatoo of an ankh with the yin/yang symbol in the top portion. Two symbols of life/death/etc. I think it's very powerful and I like it.

 

In college I took a class on world religions and we had a taoist master come in and show the power of qi or ki. It was truly fascinating to watch. That is why that luminous beings are we thing works for me...I'm not religious, doubt I ever will be, but I understand that when we go we become part of the fabric of the cosmos...

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, we just go on and on...

My end career goal is to be an educator, specifically an elementary teacher. For this reason I've also been toying with getting the Kanji character for "teach"

 

I would have loved to have seen that demonstration. You'll have to tell us about it sometime.

I did catch an episode of the learning channel (I think) where they were showing on an infrared camera a qigong master heat up a wet towel from about room temp to 210 celsius! He just held it in his hand!

I think the experience of ki translates across all religions...they just call it by different things.

 

Well, what was fascinating was that the professor for the class was a student of the qi and she was just trying to touch him, and she couldn't get any closer than about 3 feet before she started to fall backwards. She kept jumping up and down trying to pull up more energy from the earth, but she couldn't touch him, let alone try and knock him over (which was the goal).

 

That is so cool...what school was this?

 

While I am not a fan of tattoos myself, I cannot see how they can be self-mutilation unless you are a masochist who strictly does it for the enjoyment of the pain of getting one.

Body piercing? I think it makes a person look cheap. I can handle double pierced ears, or a bellybutton ring, or even an eyebrow ring -- but anything else, like a tongue ring or a Prince Albert or even a combination of what I mentioned above -- I think it makes the person look cheap and desperate for attention.

 

I went to the University of San Francisco.

 

While I agree one should think long and hard about getting a tattoo and what it should be, my own experience is rather nothing of the sort.

When I first thought about getting one, I almost went for a spider, either on the ankle or breast. Eek! Fortunately, I thought about it long enough to realize maybe I should go look at what was actually offered at the shops. Whew! I choose a piece, and because I hadn't planned on actually getting it that day, I went back later to have it done. There was a wait, and while waiting, I saw one I hadn't noticed a few days earlier and pretty much on the spur of the moment got it instead. Haven't regretted it for one second.

As for my second tat, I pondered long and hard, drew it up myself and....HATE it. Didn't turn out like I envisioned and the guy who did it wasn't as good as the girl who did the first one. One day when I can afford it, I will have it zapped.

Anyone else ever get one they now have doubts about?

 

Kessel Runner, how is your tattoo SW related? It sorta resembles the outline of Vader's TIE...

 

I prefer to think of tatoos as 'the art of self-mutilation'.

 

Hee hee.... It is the brooch that holds Zam Wesell's cape on in AOTC. You see it clearly in the coruscant chase...and even on her lego character.