Gerson's Tattoo

My buddy Gerson Castro, with whom I used to teach at Gunderson, recently alerted folks via Facebook that he got a new tattoo.

It's a quote from Ben Franklin that says:

"Holiness is in right action and courage on behalf of those who can not defend themselves. God is good to us. Let us continue to show a sense of his goodness by being good to our fellow man. For what man is a man who does not make the world better."

Certainly the longest quote I've ever seen anyone tattoo on their arm, but also definately the most thought-provoking.



What's interesting is the language. At first, I thought it was Hebrew, which seemed weird because Franklin wasn't Jewish. Then, I looked closer and saw that it wasn't Hebrew - it was Quenya, a fictional language spoken by the Elves in J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

So Gerson, you win two awards today, buddy. First, Best Use of a Quote in Body Art and Best Use of a Language That's Not Only Dead, But Never Really Was Spoken Except By Elves in a Book.