Matthew T Grant


Tall Guy. Glasses.

My Tattoo





I’ve heard this referred to as a “symbol of chaos,” and that may be one reason it appeals to me. It reminds me that, although we think of chaos in terms of “disorder,” the pinnacle of disorder is actually the entropic equilibrium—also called “heat death”— towards which matter/energy thermodynamically flows.

True chaos, seen from this perspective, is not tumultuous change, but, rather, the unchanging. If reality is still shifting from one form to another, we have not yet achieved chaos. When, however, there is no longer any movement, any difference, any here or there, hot or cold, etc., then total chaos has been achieved.

I like that something so simple—a circle; a serpent eating its own tail—expresses something seen or conceived as incredibly complex (chaos). Furthermore, snakes are my totem animal.

Finally, on my other arm, my right arm, I want this depiction of the Conquering Lion of Judah found on the sleeve of Bob Marley’s Exodus album:

To me, this lion means, “Don’t be a coward.” The ideal is to be courageous, not just brave, but inspiring bravery in others.

This lion also reminds me of the Lion of Dharma. While I’m not sure what that phrase might mean to a practicing Buddhist, to me it refers both to those individuals who understand and propagate the Dharma with ferocity, as well as the uncompromising, inescapable ferocity of Dharma itself. Which in turn reminds me of a time when a friend of mine complained about the practice of sitting meditation, pointing out that the only creatures who sit perfectly still are predators (like lions).

Finally, the Lion of Judah also means, “Chant Down Babylon.” By this I’m thinking not only of protest songs or songs of prophecy—songs meant to bring an end to the reign of the wicked. I think also on the power of those who, like “an advancing tribe of wise men coming to take down Babylon once and for all,” speak the truth.

I’ve envisioned this set of tattoos for years now and yet this is as close as I have come to associating them with my body. Somehow, getting a tattoo means something to me, something that I’m not sure I want to mean. Specifically, it would mean, “I’m the kind of 48 year old guy who gets a tattoo.” And I have to ask myself if I am that kind of 48 year old guy.

On a deeper level, though, it would mean that I had a distinct, permanent view of myself and that this “view” could be expressed, in mortal perpetuity, via ink buried in my skin. This sort of committed statement about myself is exactly what I have avoided making throughout my adult life.

Still, to be fair to myself and my principles, such as they are, these tattoos would indeed express something that I have long believed: Reality is essentially fluid (like blood, like ink) but fundamentally stable (like our identity, our skin).

Moreover, to the extent that I have a coherent “view of the world,” it is revealed through these symbols. In the center you have unchanging chaos. On the left, you have the wild wheel of life, death and rebirth—the phoenix and the flames. On the right, you have the ordering principle, wisdom, righteousness, courage—the conquering lion.

Man, I should just do this….

Category: Brandery, Enlightenment

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5 Responses

  1. Surely it’s enough to have thought about it without actually doing it!

  2. admin says:

    Damn! Lightning fast turnaround on the comment, Andrew! And you hit the nail on its overly exposed head!

  3. I just happened to be browsing my Google Reader list at the right time.

    Actually, I didn’t hit the nail. I hit my thumb, and it’s been swollen ever since.

  4. Tim says:

    Wow, for a short hair, those certainly sound like a lot of long hair idears.

  5. admin says:

    All my brains are in my hair.

    Funny fact: A few hours after I saw that you had left a comment, I ran into Bart Johnson right here on the streets of Boston. What were the odds that I would encounter two LA Aquenters in one day? How I would I even figure out those odds?