In many cases, tattoos serve as a way of self-expression that is permanently etched on the body. Freshman psychology major, Rafael Murtinho, has the perfect explanation for his tattoo.

“It is a reminder of being true to myself,” Murtinho said.

In his home of Brazil right after Murtinho turned 18, he got the word “Infinity” tattooed in Greek on his right arm, directly above his elbow.

The inspiration for Murtinho’s tattoo came from a theory and philosopher that he learned about in his high school philosophy class in Brazil.

It all began with the theory that all mass comes from water; however, philosopher Anaximander did not agree, reasoning that if water is able to put out fire, it must mean that fire and heat cannot come from water.

From this, Anaximander came up with his own theory, stating that a cosmic mass is what generates all matter – it is infinite and undefined.

The philosopher also wanted to come up with an explanation for the creation of the world, keeping in mind that he did not want to follow the religious beliefs being imposed on him at the time.

Anaximander’s boldness to deviate from old teachings and create his own moved Murtinho to get a tattoo of something related to the theory that he so greatly admired.

He saw the tattoo as a motivator to learn more and to stay true to what he believes in.

“It always inspires me to study and to attain as much knowledge as possible about many subjects of life, such as religion, biology and philosophy itself,” said Murtinho.

To Murtinho, his tattoo means that one doesn’t need to adopt widely accepted beliefs of the time – that people can create their own theories from what they choose believe in.

“This is comforting in the way that I don’t have to accept whichever religion is imposed on me, and I don’t have to accept whichever theories I don’t agree with just because people are saying they are true,” said Murtinho.

The sentimentality of his tattoo has helped Murtinho get through many tough times in his life. 

Murtinho said that the theories and the whole philosophy of Anaximander are important to him.

“They are things that helped me get through a period of my life where I felt very skeptical about religion, and I didn’t really believe in anything.”

Murtinho said that before, he would feel bad about not having something to believe in, and it was Anaximander’s theory that gave him hope.

It is clear that Murtinho is a very passionate individual; it is transparent in the way that he speaks about the emblem on his body. He was able to identify a value in his life and have it forever ingrained on to his body as a constant reminder to remain true to himself.