I'm not going to sugarcoat this - I do not care for tattoos. Period. I do not like them, Sam I am. Plain and simple. I'm not mad at people for getting them, but honestly, I always cringe when I see a young person who has just taken the plunge and gotten one. And here is why...
I change my mind...a lot.
Thinking back to my teen years, I was obsessed with a couple different things. First and foremost, the Beatles. I loved the Fab Four dearly. My room reflected it. I had Beatles memorabilia all over my bedroom. To this day, I still have my Beatles Beach towel. (I have finally let it be used for its intended purpose, [gulp] and it now has a hole in it.) I had an alarm clock, pictures, books, etc. I loved the Beatles and I loved the Peace sign.
Before the Beatles craze hit me, I loved the comic strip The Far Side. Loved it. I had one of those daily calendars and every single day, I would rip off a new comic and tape it to my wall. One year = 365 comics. (Man, my parents must have loved me.) I also had all kinds of Gary Larson books.
And somewhere in the middle of the Beatles and the Far Side infatuation, I fell in love with Trolls. You know what I'm talking about? The little plastic naked men with bright neon hair that stuck out every which way. They came in all different sizes and outfits. I had gobs of them. Trolls were everywhere.
Stretching even farther back before the Beatles, the Far Side and the Trolls obsessions, I loved teddy bears. There were 101 teddy bears stenciled all over my walls, in country blue...with rose curtains. I had a couple shelves full of my collection of teddy bears. I treasured my bears.
So when I was at my prime tattoo age, I can imagine that if I had decided to get a tattoo, I might have gotten a peace sign and/or some sort of reference to the Beatles. "All you need is love" or "Let it be" come to mind. I can't imagine that I would've gotten Ringo Star's face tattooed onto my arm, but you never know. I really loved the Fab Four.
I still like Beatles music. If I came across the Far Side comic strip, I am positive, I would crack up laughing and immediately recall why I loved them so much. Trolls make me laugh...just because I was so obsessed with them and they're so freaky. (I'm thanking the Lord right now I do not have a troll tattooed on my body.) Teddy Bears...are cute and cuddly and it's not that I don't like them anymore, but I'm not sure I would feel too mature with a giant teddy bear on the calf of my leg.
A Christian comedian I went to see made this comment about tattoos. His analogy cracked me up (in my words)...That bass (fish) you had tattooed on your belly will someday transform into a great white whale.
Seriously, yes. Our bodies change.
Our likes and interests change.
The most poignant factor in my decision never to get a tattoo was Jay's Grandpa Truman...he begged both of us to never get a tattoo and showed us why. It wasn't quite the bass-to-whale transformation but it left an impression, let me tell you.
And to be frank, I'm not a fan of pain or needles.
I know there are all sorts of Christians that have crosses and scripture and other signs of their faith tattooed all over their bodies. I'm not sure if that is used as justification or what. To me, it doesn't matter. I may offend people for this, but there are lots of people who wear crosses in some or fashion and do not believe in Jesus Christ. You having a cross or fish tattoo doesn't necessarily convince me you're a believer. Just like wearing a Christian t-shirt doesn't necessarily confirm my Christianity.
My dislike of tattoos doesn't have anything to do with whether you're a good person or a crazed lunatic. I'm not mad at you if you have a tattoo or twenty. I'm just curious about what young people will think in 10 or 15 years about their choice of body art.
My point is this: I would be mortified - and probably spending lots of money right now to remove it - if I had a tattoo of Ringo Star on my arm.
Before getting that tat, go back ten, fifteen or twenty years and think about something you just loved and now don't really give much thought. (It might even be a person!) Now imagine a picture of that 'thing' permanently on your body...
