A purity no mind can grasp.

My name is Joseph. I'm from SoCal. I love God, the Catholic Church, CFCY, my Filipino heritage, hardcore, pop punk, metalcore, rap, R&B, poetry, Harry Potter, Pope John Paul II, and krump. So...does that make me typical?

Set In Ink, Set In Stone

For those of you who don’t know, I claim to take part in a subculture and a philosophy known as straightedge. That means that I’ve made a promise to myself to abstain from drinking alcohol, having promiscuous sex, smoking, and taking drugs for the rest of my life. The culture comes directly from a music culture I’ve fallen in love with since sophomore year - the hardcore punk scene. Many people show their association with straightedge by wearing shirts of straightedge bands, marking the back of their hands with sharpied x’s, or taking it one step further, and marking themselves with something theoretically permanent: a tattoo of the straightedge culture, the three x’s. This step is what I am about to take very soon.

Most of you know, however, the importance of a tattoo. It’s supposed to be permanent, as ink is etched directly into your skin. The act of removing a tattoo is often expensive, arduous, and even painful. The process of getting a tattoo is supposed to ensure that the ink lasts about a lifetime. Now, how do I feel about this? I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t scared. Why would I be scared? I’m scared of breaking this promise that’s supposed to be a lifetime. I’m scared of going back on the words I’ve said to myself and other people. I’m scared of looking at this tattoo and remembering the moment when I broke edge, thereby betraying myself and my loved ones. After all, how much power does something permanently etched on you hold when the emotion it contained is compromised because of the bitterness and jadedness that time grants to us people?

I am a young man, and I know my perception of time is very shallow. However, what I also know is that I love straightedge. The edge grants me freedom, rather than restrictions. This culture has helped keep me in check with my life decisions, as well as grant me a community I could call my brothers and sisters. I know that I made this promise to myself at a young age of 17, but how fruitful would this promise be if I kept it until death do I part from my carnal vessel, my body? So if I were to etch this emblem unto my skin, I want the promise to last as long as the ink does. The tattoo must be the symbol that I made this step and I can’t turn back. But I love straightedge so much, that I don’t know if I see myself turning back. At least for right now. But hopefully, forever.

If I set this symbol in ink, this promise must be set in stone.

  1. josephramos posted this