physics and astronomy

are you familiar with the first law of thermodynamics? it states that energy can be changed from one form to another, but it cannot be created or destroyed. it explains that the total amount of energy and matter in the universe remains constant, merely changing from one form to another. i've always been fascinated by this idea. i believe that everything in our world is interconnected on levels that are obvious to us and others that are much more obscure. to learn as much as i can about the things and people that surround me and make up my world is a part of my personal mission and a part of the larger reason for humanity i feel. for a long time i've found comfort in coming to learn about the true nature of the world and the body, how they work and exist, sociology and psychology, human nature and the human condition. i have an issue with completely faith-based existence. i've always wanted empirical evidence, concrete proof, results, data and certifiable outcomes to be a part of the process that helps me define the world around me. i am naturally, but i believe healthily, skeptical and thus rely on such evidence to confirm my suspicions. my decision making processes have long been based on ideas that are tried and tested. i also don't discount hypotheses and theories, as these are the beginnings of further understanding, and, if they deserve merit, they will be tested countless times and their results recreated often.
after my mother died i struggled to cope with the idea of what's next. having been raised in a christian family, i was in my teens before i formed a firm opinion about the fictitiousness of an omnipotent god. the fairy tale stories are interesting, but not plausible, especially in such bulk, and to swallow them requires making leaps in logic within a paradigm plagued with holes. i couldn't bare the thought of my mother's existence coming to an end and i could find no solace in typical religious avenues. but i did take comfort in the first law of thermodynamics...energy cannot be created or destroyed, it only changes forms. mom was so full of vitality, life, energy, laughter...all of this potential and kinetic energy couldn't just vaporize...it had to be reinvested back into our world in some other form. i think this cycle is very well represented by stars, which are born, burn brightly, shine, emit warmth and light, and then fade and fizzle out. their energy is then reborn elsewhere in our sky as a new star whose life will be somewhat unpredictable but whose fate we all know. and like the most massive stars, often the brightest and truly impacting people also tend to have the shortest lifespan, like in mom’s case. all of this does have a point…
so i've long wanted to commemorate this idea of my mother's, and all other living things, eternal contribution to our world and universe in the form of valuable energy. i decided a star was a fitting symbol of this idea.
so recently carrie, liz and i journeyed to osaka. we got into a lot of trouble there. we also discovered a lot, including this tattoo parlor.

i've known for a while my next tattoo would be a star. we decided to go for it.

taiyou, the artist, and i post tattoo