It's ALL Permanent

My tattoos invariably evoke one or more of the same 3 reactions.

(click here for video vs article version)

1) The question; did that hurt? Yes, yes it did.

2) Admiration for the art and artist.?Yes, it’s art.?

3) Concern about their permanence.?Or rather…shock about my LACK of concern about their permanence.

So, let me share a secret.??In ONE way, I don’t see it as any more permanent than things that some see as transiant or less enduring.

Arguably, you can leave a spouse or a job easier than removing a tattoo. But that’s not what drives my feelings on the topic.?Leave a spouse,?and you are no longer married, but that doesn’t change the fact that you were. That is permanent.??And since we are made up of all of our experiences (or at least our narratives of them ) that period of time and those changes are a part?of us.?Kinda of permanent, (ish).?We continually evolve in this way, and I think it’s more that we add things than that we remove them.

I know that’s not what people really mean when they talk about permanence.?But I think that’s really more of a?difference between permanent and visible.?In your face.?I think what people are mostly concerned about with tattoos is that??people will see them and then people will judge, and that I may one day wish to avoid that.?Possibly true.

But I invite you to reflect with me on the long tail impacts of our choices;?even if they aren’t as in-your-face as tattoos.?Our words, actions, purchases…every choice. It adds up.

Just maybe if people saw that purchase (which may be a landfill a looooong time ) or that kind or unkind word as permanent as they see my tattoos …, well maybe we’d all be a bit better off.