want a tattoo. Actually, I want many, but only one really has to do with Mama Kat's prompt this week.It's not that I'm passionate about tattoos, or that they make me live my life with passion, or anything. Tattoos don't change me, they don't inspire me. But I really want a little heart tattoo with the word "Shalom" in Hebrew inside of it on my left foot to remind myself to walk in love, peace, and passion. Because I truly am an incredibly passionate person, but my shy nature often allows me to forget that.
I'm passionate about today. You know, carpe diem quam minimum credula postero; seize the day and place no trust in tomorrow. (That's another tattoo I want.) I live every day of my life passionately with the hope that if I die tonight or tomorrow it will all have been worth something, anything, to someone.
I'm passionate about human trafficking. Perhaps I should say I'm passionately against human trafficking. The fact that right now someone, somewhere is being forced into some sort slavery -- whether it be into Joseph Kony's child army, prostitution, or any type of involuntary servitude -- literally makes me sick. It makes me shake, makes me see red, makes me nauseous. That passion is why I'm devoting my life to an organization like The A21 Campaign or International Justice Missions or Human Rights Watch once I finally graduate.
I'm passionate about peace, hence the word "shalom" inside the heart. No, I'm not one of those people that has peace signs all over anything but doesn't really seek it. I honestly crave it; it's like an eternal hunger that gnaws at my heart. In Psalm 34:14 our God, the Prince of Peace instructs us to "Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it," and I intend to do just that every day.
Loving people makes me passionate. I love, love, love people in general. It entirely conflicts with how shy I am, which irritates me to the ends of the earth, but it's true. The biggest joys of my day are seeing other people smile. Sure, I also really enjoy getting an A on a test and watching Grey's Anatomy (it's Thursday!), but those are temporal, and while happiness is temporal as well, it's so much more effectual and in many ways so much more eternal.
You might want to make sure you have that Latin correct before you get it tattooed, because I don't see "cras" anywhere in there, and that's the word that means tomorrow, and quam doesn't really mean and.
ReplyDeleteA better way to say it might be "carpe diem et creda in future non podamus", which, if I'm making my Latin professor proud, is "sieze the day, and let us not place trust in the future".
If there's someone else who knows better, please correct me. Really, the main point of this is not "trust Jamie on matters Latin," but "don't trust the internet on matters Latin, and ask a Latin professor at TAMU".
I got a real sense of your love for life and people in this post. Truly.
ReplyDeleteI love this! What wonderful things to be passionate about!
ReplyDeleteI've always been told I'm a passionate person. Sometimes I just worry it is about the wrong thing. Like who might win So You Think You Can Dance.
ReplyDeleteKidding. Totally kidding. Sometimes I can't help myself.
great idea for a tattoo! i love hearing people's meanings behind them! and, your header picture is cool...it reminds me a little of point lobos.
ReplyDeleteAwesome tattoo idea! I think peace and passion for others is so important as well because that's so much a part of God's nature. Christ truly is the Prince of Peace, like you mentioned, and as His followers we should all be so inspired :)
ReplyDeleteThis post is great. :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it weird how personality conflicts work? I know EXACTLY what you mean. I love to sing but am afraid of performing, love the idea of teaching but am petrified of speaking to a group...you get the idea...
Anyway...I feel ya.
And the human trafficking is heartbreaking, huh? : /
My shyness irritates me too! I feel like the older I get the better I get at pushing it away.
ReplyDelete