• Blog
  • About
  • Contact
Francene--Blog. Year 2014

The past is over. Move on.

11/11/2014

6 Comments

 
Picturewww.ezilikonnen.com
Wouldn't it be great if we could remove the mistakes we made in the past? We'd be willing to suffer any amount of pain to start again with a clean slate.

This is happening for prisoners in New Zealand. No, their past misdeeds won't be wiped out, but they can have their tattoos removed at a cut price.

Authorities are hoping to stop convicts from re-offending. No longer will designs on their skin remind them of the life they used to live, but future employers might look more favorably on them. 


Picturewww.renewskinand health.co.uk
Instead of the normal cost of removal sessions to erase tattoos from faces, necks and lower arms, which is about US$3,500 (£2,200)—at the prison, they pay US$23 (£15). Depending on the artwork, it can take four to six sessions to have a tattoo removed.

The Huffington Post reported in 2013 that convicts in Los Angeles are offered a free service to remove body art which identifies them as gang members.

Does our life mark us in a different way as we age? Maybe our expression has become hardened by the need for protection. Perhaps our features are set in grim lines, or our outlook has been warped by the things we've seen. 

Picturewww.technocrazed.com
Think of the face reflected in the mirror. Do you relax the muscles that hold an ugly reminder and smile at yourself? Take that a step further and you can present your calm gentle, accepting face to the world. Then, others might see you without the ugly marks—just like the prisoner with his or her tattoos removed.

The process won't be easy. Time and effort are needed. Also, your thoughts need to be reshaped. Whatever caused your hardened expression is over. Your past should be treated like the prisoner's misdeeds. Serve your time in regret, ask for forgiveness or understanding, and then move on.

What do you see in the mirror?


6 Comments
Agata Pokutycka link
11/10/2014 06:30:55 pm

The past is never over. It creates us and makes who we are today. You can't just rub it off... embrace it and move on.

Reply
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry link
11/10/2014 06:37:24 pm

It is great that they are getting a second chance via tattoo removal. Would e difficult though to completely erase that past from your mind.

Reply
Mary Burris link
11/10/2014 06:40:26 pm

I am conflicted about this. Part of me wants them to have the ability to 'come clean' and start over, but part of me wants them to be able to reflect upon where they have been. Should someone in prison pay less for tattoo removal than someone not in prison? I don't think so.

Reply
Amy link
11/10/2014 09:18:12 pm

These folks will have lots of other things to overcome, as they re-enter polite society. I'm sure the tattoos will be the least of it.

Reply
K.Lee Banks link
11/10/2014 11:30:54 pm

Sometimes I think it would be nice to have a time machine and go back to right wrongs, and make better choices. Yet, we really can't change the past - all we can do is learn from it, and use what we've learned to create a better future!

Reply
Kristen from The Road to Domestication link
11/11/2014 01:54:50 am

This is a lovely post, Francine! Very thought-provoking. Sometimes when I look in the mirror I'm just not sure who I'm looking at...

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Francene Stanley:
    Author
    I use news items in my fantasy novels.

    Born in Australia, I moved to Britain half way through my long life. If you like my writing, why not consider purchasing one of my books on the sidebar below?
    I blogged 260 days last year. Link.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013

    Categories

    All
    Animals
    Birds
    Earth
    Environment
    Experience
    News
    Novel
    People
    Society
    Writing

    RSS Feed

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.