Carpe Diem and Tattoos
“Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero” means “seize the day and place little trust in tomorrow.” Apparently, this Latin phrase is quite popular these days as a tattoo. An Internet search of Google Images shows a large number of inquiries about it and many pictures of designs featuring it.
I have a young friend, in her thirties now, whose small butterfly tattoo grew to huge proportions when she was pregnant. But she really wanted to rid herself of the two-inch flower on her ankle, so she underwent five laser treatments to have it removed.
She learned several things:
1. Tattoo removal is painful and expensive. As the picture above shows, the inks/paints are deeply buried in the skin. This article describes removal options and gives other interesting information.
2. Getting a tattoo can be dangerous; tattoo artistry is not regulated and is often unsanitary. You can get hepatitis and other blood-borne diseases from dirty needles.
3. Some tattoo artists use metallic inks, even automobile paint, for their designs. Metal-based paints can cause pain and burning during later MRIs.
My friend moved away from the city where she was having the removal treatments. Now the flower tattoo looks like a bruise, and she is happier with her ankle that looks more like the perfect one God gave her.
Seizing the day is good. However, while you might enjoy your tattoo today and even for a few years, you can trust that a time may well come when you will wish you had seized it with less permanent means.
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