The Art of Total Commitment
Posted By Randy on March 19, 2011
I could paint a poem on your back
With a Chinese brush and India ink.
And then, with a razor or pin or sliver of bamboo
And a stolen hotel towel (to daub the blood and excess black),
I could make it Permanent.
I have seen this done before in my dreams.
But You would never allow this violence of obligation,
This enduring itch of commitment.
You could never abide my words on your skin.Tattoo by Timothy Main
People get tattoos for a variety of reasons. Sometimes on a whim or to follow a trend; often later regretted. In the heat of passion; almost always later regretted. In commemoration of a person, animal, relationship, place, or event that will forever have meaning in their life; rarely if ever regretted. As a subtle and very personal expression, worn on the skin, of a deeply held personal Truth; never regretted. Likewise never regretted are the tattoos that people get because they’ve grown tired of wearing their particular brand of strange on the inside. And then, of course, there’s the case when the tattoo is obtained because the one getting it is a complete mutant bizarro intent on wearing his or her bizocracy right out there like a neon sign on a whore house for all to see. Those ones never figured out that, “The one with the full face tattoo … send it!” can be the last words heard in a sniper’s ear piece at the end of a very bad day for their favourite skin walker.
When a tattoo is well chosen, for the right personal reasons, it is a metaphor for the most important thing in Life – Total Commitment. People who choose and wear their tattoos well aren’t the kind to hide their passion and live their lives over a safety net.
It’s said that the human form is a thing of beautiful symmetry, but this is true only at first glance. On closer inspection, we find asymmetries that can either charm or disgust, depending on what they tell of the one who lives inside the skin we examine. Vagaries of family lineage passed down through birth, wrinkles, stretch marks, scars of old wounds and wounds yet to heal – all of these tell a story, and most don’t come in neatly matched pairs or symmetrical patterns. The proof of a life that is actually being lived and not foolishly frittered away – of mistakes made, of children born, tears cried, laughter laughed – the experienced and sensitive eye sees these marks of life as a flavour enhancer and never a detraction.
Just as it’s said that friends are the family we get to choose, it can also be said of tattoos that they are the scars we choose to wear, and when well chosen for the right personal reasons, with pride. Where natural scars are usually the badge of accident or misadventure survived, and inevitably carry a story that may or may not be favourable to the intelligence of the wearer, a tattoo speaks to character and personal values.
Unlike a natural scar, the location of a tattoo is open to choice, and in this it must be remembered – anything that arrests the eye in its examination of the body needs to send a message that enhances the experience instead of distracting from or diluting it. That doesn’t mean the tattoo needs to be tiny or discretely positioned, but its wearer must be aware that its nature and placement will speak to an observer, most particularly of their sense of position and value in the Universe.
I luv tatoos! your body is a canvas… be creative.. have fun w. it! body art is beautiful.. well can b.
totally agree, all my ink is in honor or memory of loved ones, never will regret!!!
Thank you Karen. There’s too little commitment and too much regret in the world. I prefer decisive people who are ready to stand by what matters to them.
If you haven’t already read it, you might enjoy this – http://randy.whynacht.ca/archives/6785
It tackles commitment from a slightly different direction.
Thanks for reading, and please do come back!