At A Glance
Author	tlw
Contact	[email protected]
IAM	tlw
When	It just happened

[This is about my thoughts about things and is no way meaning to disrespect anyone of any religion. Hopefully, you'll find it thought provoking instead of something to upset you, the reader. If that is not the case, please yell at me at my website and keep it off of BME. Thanks.]

As I was in the shower (yeah, great place to think, I know) I was thinking about my next piercing. While thinking about that, my mind wondered onto thoughts of my grandmother, who will be starting chemo this week. This is the second time she has had cancer in thirty years, and everything is currently going fine. The thing is, this time around, she had a shunt put in for her treatments.

That made me remember something for childhood. I recall asking my grandmother way she never had her ears pierced, since my mother has had hers pierced since before I was born. She told me that she was born without holes in her head, or something along those lines, and that was the way she wanted to go out too.

So, in theory, she was saying that she didn't want to die with anything that she wasn't born with, which is sort of normal for older people in this area. A lot of them are very conservative and believe highly in god and the bible, so, it happens. (I also remember asking her why she never wanted any tattoos. I basically got the same answer.)

Now, this makes me wonder how far people are willing to take that way of thinking. I have known older people that are against everything even in the general realm of body modification. Such as; surgery of any type, donating organs, organ transplants, and generally anything that would be used to save your life in the medical field�just because it would change their body in some way.

These are the types of people that cringe at individuals covered in tattoos and, heaven forbid if someone in their family would end up like that. So, these people are about the very opposite of many people here at BME.

I know that, as a general rule, these are the thoughts of older people that have been brought up in this way of thinking and very close-minded persons. But, where does this thinking come from? I was told it came from the bible and that people are supposed to go out of this world the same way they came in. If that's true, then what of those that needed surgery to save their lives?

Of course, the thinking has changed much since I was a kid (god, that didn't make me feel old) and those that truly need surgery will probably overlook the whole idea just to save themselves, but, in a way, is that going against their god? Personally, I don't know.. But if it does, I would suppose their god is vengeful and unforgiving.

To think of body modification is to think of suspension, tattoos, piercings, and other, heavier mods. But, to other people, body modification is literally anything dealing with just that�modification of the body. So does this make it all wrong if one doesn't believe in it?

It's not really something to do but think about for a moment, I mean that because if you dwell upon subjects such as religion and philosophies as a whole, you get into a big area of debate. All I'm trying to get at is this: If you believe in one thing, is it alright to go against it for your health?

Well, on saying that, I have to add that I never much thought of things such as that as modification because I tend to think of it in the art form, not in the medical. I always think of body modification as some sort of work of art (like tattoos and scarification), though one could see medical procedures in the same light I suppose.

Now, I know that some people have mods for the pain. Some people do it for the art. Some have to in order to live. I just want people to think about in more in the latter form. Just because someone is missing an arm, doesn't mean they didn't do it to themselves, yes, but, in the same sense, people have heavy mods done to save themselves. It's important to look at it through both eyes, I think.

There is a little bit of everything to body modification, and I wonder what my grandmother really thinks about losing her left breast to cancer this time around. Does she think of it as a form of mutilation, or does she find it beautiful for the fact that she can stay here longer with us all. I do not know and I probably never will because she won't talk about it, but I hope she ends up finding it to be beautiful and life saving at the same time.