Society & Culture in the US

My father hates my tattoos. He’s certain that one day when I’m older and wiser I’ll regret getting them in the first place and want to pay for the laser treatment or surgery that will remove them. Of course I wouldn’t have gotten them in the first place if I wasn’t sure that I wanted them for the rest of my life. I didn’t get anything stupid like a flaming skull or a girl’s name inked onto me that I’d hate looking at in the mirror every single day. I wanted deeply personal symbols. On my right arm, I have a Celtic knot, which admittedly means nothing. It’s just there because I’m Irish. Underneath that, I have a phoenix. Over on my left arm, I have a tree of life with ouroboros sitting on its branches. Ouroboros is the ancient symbol of the snake devouring its own tail I’m sure you’ve seen a thousand times before. Eternal life and immortality are the two running themes in my tattoos. I’m not religious or especially spiritual, but I like to think that part of me, if only the memory of me will go on forever even after I die and everyone else I know is gone as well.