Potentash
  • Relationships
    • The Singlehood Series
    • Dating
    • Sex
    • Parenting
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Food + Beverage
    • Fashion
    • Interviews
  • Stories
    • The Singlehood Series
    • Fiction
    • Poetry
  • Skin + Beauty
    • Skin
      • Skincare
    • Hair
      • Haircare
  • Wellness
    • Physical Health
    • Emotional Wellness
    • Mental Wellness
    • Social Wellness
    • Spiritual Wellness
  • Business
    • Business Finance
    • Personal Finance
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Investments
    • Personal Investments
  • Entertainment
    • Internet
    • Events
    • Music
    • Books
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
Potentash
  • Relationships
    • The Singlehood Series
    • Dating
    • Sex
    • Parenting
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Food + Beverage
    • Fashion
    • Interviews
  • Stories
    • The Singlehood Series
    • Fiction
    • Poetry
  • Skin + Beauty
    • Skin
      • Skincare
    • Hair
      • Haircare
  • Wellness
    • Physical Health
    • Emotional Wellness
    • Mental Wellness
    • Social Wellness
    • Spiritual Wellness
  • Business
    • Business Finance
    • Personal Finance
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Investments
    • Personal Investments
  • Entertainment
    • Internet
    • Events
    • Music
    • Books
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
Potentash
No Result
View All Result
Vogue Philippines Cover - Apo Whang-Od Tattoo Artist

Vogue Philippines Cover - Apo Whang-Od Tattoo Artist Image from https://bit.ly/40hGeSV

What The 106-Year-Old Tattoo Artist Can Teach Us

Nereah Obimbo by Nereah Obimbo
20 April 2023
in Opinions
Reading Time: 4 mins read
19 1
0
23
SHARES
130
VIEWS
FacebookTwitterWhatsApp

Vogue Philippines recently had on their cover a 106-year-old tattoo artist with tattoos all over. The internet was split with many absolutely loving it and others using it to remind people that tattoos age poorly and that they should keep that in mind when considering getting inked. This discussion about denying ourselves things in the present because of our perception of the future is present in so many areas of life not just inking your skin. Think about all the things you deny yourself in the name of being wise and practical. Let’s talk about how and why we rob ourselves of joy today in the name of protecting tomorrow.

Comments on tattoos ageing poorly are funny though. So we don't do things we want that look good on us in our youth because they *may* look bad as we age? Lmao! Don't rob yourself of joy today. And if you make it even to 70+, you won't GAF about anyone's opinions anyway 😂 https://t.co/DgyyHfw3FP

— Criminal Baddie (@mwendesusu) April 4, 2023

Fear

So many of our decisions are motivated by fear. In the case of tattoos, the fear of having weird-looking tattoos when you’re older. Having weird-looking tattoos that people then laugh at you over, to be specific. I think of all the different types of food we deny ourselves for fear of gaining weight and being treated differently in a society that celebrates thin people and discriminates against heavier ones. We live in fear of regrets when there’s no way to live without having regrets. It’s literally the cost of doing business.

We live in perpetual fear of everything, not least of all death. Why else would we have old people on diets excluding things like sugar and oil? You have people in their 90s being forced by their doctors and families to follow these strict diets so that they can live longer. What? Let your grandfather drink all that sugar and let your mother eat those pastries. It’s not that serious. They’ve already lived.

Human hubris

We deny ourselves so much based on the assumption that we will live for long. I think about how girls are often cautioned against dyeing their hair because of the long-term effects on the hair, drying it out and making it brittle. This girl and I had a mutual friend, so our paths occasionally crossed. The girl’s hair was always a different fun colour, from purples to reds and everything in between. She died suddenly before her 25th birthday. We all assume we’ll live long enough to regret those tattoos and regret those carbs. A significant number of us are wrong and it would never occur to us.

I think of the many things, clothes, notebooks, that water bottle gift that someone gave me that I don’t use because I’m saving them to use in the future. I’m being practical, wise. If I died tomorrow, it will be without once using that cute water bottle that someone close to me gave me.

We imagine we have time and we’re wrong.

Self-denial as a virtue

We live in a society in which denying ourselves is a virtue. If you want something and can find the self-control to keep yourself from taking it, you are worthy of praise. This is especially true of small things like food and sleep. It’s almost like denying yourself joy is the name of the game. Someone on Twitter says they spend their Sundays lazing in bed, and people accuse them of wasting time. Our idea of fun is bragging about how we’re not sleeping, not taking any time off and spending every minute of every day working. People who listen to their bodies and take the time off are lazy. We’re encouraged to deny ourselves at every turn.

In conclusion

Live. Risk making mistakes. Get those tattoos. Colour your hair. Go on that trip. Sleep. Eat whatever you want. Sleep some more. Write that book. Buy that guitar and learn to play it. Wear that dress you’re saving for a special day. Get that tattoo. Add a piercing. Eat some more of whatever you want. Do it on the good dishes and cutlery reserved for visitors. Don’t let fear hold you back completely. It will hold you back, just make sure you occasionally fight it. You only live once and you don’t know how long you get.

The Danger of Wisdom
By Jack Gilbert

We learn to live without passion.
To be reasonable. We go hungry
amid the giant granaries
this world is. We store up plenty
for when we are old and mild.
It is our strength that deprives us.
Like Keats listening to the doctor
who said the best thing for
tuberculosis was to eat only one
slice of bread and a fragment
of fish each day. Keats starved
himself to death because he yearned
so desperately to feast on Fanny Brawne.
Emerson and his wife decided to make
love sparingly in order to accumulate
his passion. We are taught to be
moderate. To live intelligently.

 

Check out

Tattoo Aftercare – 6 Tips To Help You Take Care Of A New Tattoo

The Singlehood Series: The Girls With The Infinity Tattoos

Considerations Before Getting A Tattoo

She Got A Tattoo Of Her Man’s Name And Now He Was An Ex

Share9Tweet6SendShare2Pin2
Previous Post

What The Reactions About Hakimi’s Divorce Reveal About How We Are Living

Next Post

7 Simple Guidelines On How To Respond To Posts Of Death On Social Media

Nereah Obimbo

Nereah Obimbo

Writer. Youtuber. Filmmaker. Abolitionist. Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.

Next Post
Wanting rich lifestyles on social media

7 Simple Guidelines On How To Respond To Posts Of Death On Social Media

Please login to join discussion

Recommended

Rescue Me!! When Your Past Comes Back To Haunt You At The Workplace & Other Scary Ex Stories Part 3

Rescue Me!! When Your Past Comes Back To Haunt You At The Workplace & Other Scary Ex Stories Part 3

16 November 2017
5.9k
Illustration of woman lifting couch to vacuum and man lying on it - weaponized incompetence

Weaponized Incompetence And How To Deal With It

10 June 2023
186

Popular Stories

  • The Singlehood Series: I Went On A Date With A Vegetarian Who Asked Me Not To Order Meat

    Opinion: On Men Leaving Their First ‘Struggle’ Wives After Becoming Successful

    620 shares
    Share 248 Tweet 155
  • We Met At A Funeral, And For A While, Grief Felt Just Like Love

    3 shares
    Share 1 Tweet 1
  • The Singlehood Series: I Left Her After She Met My Parents Because Some Red Flags Became Visible During The Visit

    3 shares
    Share 1 Tweet 1
  • The Man She Loved Turned Out To Be A Monster

    5 shares
    Share 1 Tweet 1
  • Relationships And A Tolerable Level Of Permanent Unhappiness

    1584 shares
    Share 632 Tweet 395

Potentash Blog

Potentash is an award-winning lifestyle blog. We publish lifestyle content that intersects with health, women, beauty, travel, business, relationships, finances and entertainment.

Explore

  • The Singlehood Series
  • From Stairs To Ramps
  • Man Around Nairobi
  • Pearls And Heels
  • Personal Finance
  • Food + Beverage
  • Editor’s Pick
  • Reviews

Get the Potentash Newsletter

  • Newsletter Archive
  • Subscribe
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2023. Potentash, In Partnership with Decima

Welcome Back!

Sign In with Linked In
OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
  • Relationships
    • The Singlehood Series
    • Dating
    • Sex
    • Parenting
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Food + Beverage
    • Fashion
    • Interviews
  • Stories
    • The Singlehood Series
    • Fiction
    • Poetry
  • Skin + Beauty
    • Skin
      • Skincare
    • Hair
      • Haircare
  • Wellness
    • Physical Health
    • Emotional Wellness
    • Mental Wellness
    • Social Wellness
    • Spiritual Wellness
  • Business
    • Business Finance
    • Personal Finance
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Investments
    • Personal Investments
  • Entertainment
    • Internet
    • Events
    • Music
    • Books

Copyright © 2023. Potentash, In Partnership with Decima