Tattoos? No Thanks - And Here's Why . . .

Do you tattoo?
If so, why? Are you trying to make a statement? Is it part of an emotional commitment? Or did you just decide to get tattooed on a whim or a dare?
Whatever the reason, I don’t get it.
Still, it’s obvious to me that others are onto the tattoo craze and the movement seems to be growing among young people.
Even women seem to be getting tattooed at an accelerating rate.
I don’t like it. And others are reacting the same way.
Some companies have now had to adopt policies that either prohibit or place restrictions on visible tattoos, body piercings and other body art.
Even the Marine Corps has banned extra large tattoos below the elbow or the knee lest these spoil the Corps’ spit and polish image.
Who’d have thought it would come to this?
It seems that some people have forgotten that less is more.
And while we're on the subject of summer excess please cover up your beer bellies, flabby bare midriffs, butt cracks, cellulite, and yes, your butt cheeks too. You're contributing to visual blight.
Furthermore, if the heat has made you and yours exceptionally passionate this summer please spare us the PDAs and by all means get a room.
But, back to tattoos: Tattoos don’t age very well and the sentiments they express often turn out to be passing, at best.
And speaking of sentiments, the Bible long ago weighed in on body adornment proclaiming: “Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the Lord.”
The idea is that your body is the temple of your soul, an instrument on loan from God to contain your essence and you should not deface it.
Makes sense to me.
Yet many people don’t seem to get the message.
They're making our word more crass and more vulgar day by day.
Which makes me want to ask them: Why bother with a tattoo when there are kinder, gentler ways to make a statement, demonstrate your love, show your affiliation or remember a loved one?
Besides, some of us would rather not see your tattoos anyway. There are enough in-your-face sentiments being expressed everywhere we turn. We don’t need anymore.
So here’s my summer plea: Do the world a favor. Think long and hard before you get a tattoo. And if you already have one, cover it up or consider having it removed.