Every now and then I get asked about my ink and what it means. I spent several years working up each one (for better or worse) so here is the long answer to that short question of “What does it mean?”
Ink by the numbers…
The ink on my left arm is binary code. If you were to input it into a binary program reader it would render my life’s motto of “Dare to Dream, Pursue with Passion, Love Always.” In my days at Belmont I had a professor who assigned us the task of coming up with a life motto for ourselves and this is the phrase I finally decided on. I chose to have the tattoo in binary because I love computers and, more importantly, I love the beauty of the idea that all of our language and world can be communicated with a system consisting of only two characters. The binary aspect of the design also has a certain symbolic yin/yang feel to it for me as well.
As for the layout… it contains 360 characters and forms a square made in three parts, with the symbolism being that the 360 characters represent the 360 degrees of a circle and thus the design metaphorically represents the idea of “squaring the circle.” The three columns dividing the square represent the “rule of thirds” which is used throughout art and architecture to bring a pleasing aesthetic balance.
All of that to say…the purpose of my Binary Ink was to remind me each day what is most important… Daring to Dream, Pursuing with Passion, and Loving Always; and that if I could do those things then I might be able to “square the circle” of life and reach a balance and beauty that is metaphorically represented by the “rule of thirds.”
There be Dragons…
The half sleeve ink on my right arm has several components.
The two columns of text translate roughly…
“Reason is the greatest good, Reciprocity the rule.”
This phrase seemed to encapsulate what I believed to be life’s most basic truths and the phrase answered two of life’s greatest questions for me…
– What is the most important (highest/greatest) thing in life?
– How should one best live their life (what is the WAY to live)?
The first question is answered by stating that…reason is the greatest good, and the second question is answered by stating that reciprocity is the rule, or way, to live.
Reason requires us to determine the right and wrong of something dispassionately through logic, and someone who exercises Reason in all things is one who will exemplify Reciprocity by treating others as one wishes to be treated. Someone who reveres Reason will naturally understand that treating others as one would want to be treated gives the individual and the community at large the greatest possible degree of security and is thus the best philosophy of life.
Reason and Reciprocity are my guiding lights, and the daily practice of Reason leads to a life of Reciprocity… a life well lived.
The red stamp at the bottom is done in the traditional Chinese stamp style and basically reads “The stamp of Thaddeus Schwartz,” but Chinese is especially interesting because each character comes with its own individual meaning too, so if you read the meaning of each “character” (which is why I hired a translator to help with this) it means…
“To conscientiously carry out or follow the practice of fair or just progress or teaching.”
With much help from a translator we were able to carefully select characters that both represented my name and at the same time expressed a meaningful idea.
Thaddeus Schwartz = 施允迪 (Surname followed by First name)
Surname: 施 sound from Schwartz (such)… Meaning: 施 carry out; impose
First name: There are 2 Chinese characters for the first name… 允迪
1st character: 允… Meaning: allow or consent; fair or just (chosen only for the meaning)
2nd character: 迪… Meaning: progress; teach… represents the sound from Thaddeus (deus) (chosen for the meaning and sound)
允迪 = Thaddeus… Conscientiously carry out; follow the practice
The tattoed stamp is done in a calligraphy style. For simpler translation, the stamp is shown here with standard fonts and is to be read counterclockwise starting at the northeast corner of the stamp…
“seal of Schwartz Thaddeus”
Dragon
The larger part of the design focuses on a “Fish Dragon” leaping from water.
The following story (known as the Koi Dragon Myth) describes the significance of the Koi/Dragon motif.
“In the wild, koi are cold-water fish that gain strength by swimming against currents. Many years ago, in a time before recorded history, a huge school containing thousands of koi swam up the Yellow River. The colors of their well-muscled bodies flashed in the sunlight making them seem like a million living jewels. All was going well until the koi reached a waterfall. Immediately, a large number of them grew discouraged and turned back, finding it much easier to simply go with the flow of the river. Yet, a determined group of 360 koi stayed on. Straining and leaping, each koi strove to reach the top of the falls. Again and again they flung their bodies into the air only to fall back into the water. All this splashing noise drew the attention of the local demons who laughed at the efforts of the struggling koi. Adding to their misery, the demons sadistically increased the height of the falls. Still the koi refused give up! Undeterred, the koi continued their efforts for one hundred years. At last, with one heroic leap, a single koi reached the top of the falls. The god’s smiled down in approval and transformed the exhausted koi into a shining golden dragon. He joyfully spends his days chasing pearls of wisdom across the skies of the vast and eternal heavens. Whenever another koi finds the strength and courage to leap up the falls, he or she too becomes a heavenly dragon. The falls have become know as the Dragon’s Gate and, because of their endurance and perseverance, koi have become symbolic of overcoming adversity and fulfilling one’s destiny.”
Swimming against the stream, struggling to overcome, breaking free, and realizing my destiny is something I aspire to. I also liked the water, sky, and fire elements because these are elements of our natural world and are basics parts of our “becoming.” I also liked the evolution from water to air, a transition that parallels our own evolution.
Final Elements
The last two elements of the tattoo are the Cherokee Star and the Lotus Flower.
My ancestors are German, Jewish, and Cherokee… the star represents my heritage.
The lotus has a history of symbolism…
“The lotus is born at the muddy bottom of a pond. The plant pushes its stalk up through the mud and murky water to the surface where a beautiful blossom eventually blooms. It symbolizes the desire to elevate one’s self above the muddy thoughts and actions of daily life in order to become a better person. The lotus flower is also said to represent the purity of body, mind, and spirit with the blue lotus specifically representing knowledge, wisdom, and intelligence.”
All of these ideas are ones I aspire to, and my ink reminds me of these in an artful way each day.