New ink, and philosophy.

I over-think stuff. Which is fine, I think, and I think it's fine because I've spent hours thinking about how much I think about stuff, and concluded that it wasn't too much.

This, of course, extends to important stuff like "should I get a tattoo, and what should it be, and what would it mean to me, and what would it mean to other people, and would it mean more than 'I like how it looks', and would it accurately reflect the person I am?"

So, this is what I got:

On my left wrist is the Doomsday Clock, a bit worse for wear. It symbolizes the brief time we may have left. It's the idea that in five minutes, we could *all* of us be dead, cinders floating in the atomic breeze. In five minutes, you, I, and everyone we've ever met could be dead. It's a constant reminder that we're on our way out. That life is short, and often wasted. That the things we do will not last, that our greatest works will never survive Time.

On my right wrist is the Punisher's Skull logo. It symbolizes death, and judgement. It's a reminder that I will die, and you will die, and that on a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero. It's a symbol of harsh judgement, a reminder that when we die, there's no lawyers, no plea bargains, no early release for good behavior, no short sentences, but harsh, permanent, and black-and-white Justice. Frank Castle is not a man of gray areas and compromise, he's the embodiment of Genesis 9:6. Similarly, God's judgement is stark, final, and permanent. There's no hidden actions, no way to squirrel out of every nasty thing we've done.

The "12:13" and "ECC" stand for Ecclesiastes 12:13, the closest thing I have to a "inspirational life verse". I know other folks read the Psalms to marvel at the beautiful poetry and be inspired by it, I prefer Ecclesiastes' nihilistic treatment of this world, followed by the simple answer to life's only real question "What is the meaning of my life?" Ecclesiastes 12:13 gives that answer. "The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person."

Those three parts, put together, are basically the way I try to live my life.

I could be dead in five minutes, and standing before God. Do I want to spend those five minutes doing something that I would be ashamed of in front of God, or do I want to spend those five minutes doing something useful? Do I want to spend the rest of my life in pursuit of God's will for it, or in pursuit of my own fulfilment?

In the end, I will die. You will die. Everything we've ever said will be forgotten, the lives we lead will be irrelevant, the great things we build will end up falling apart. Perfectly illustrating this point, the food I've made for people, no matter how much I enjoyed cooking it, how good it tasted, or how much they enjoyed eating it, has long been turned into poo.

When I really think about it, the only thing in this life that's worthwhile is serving God. Everything else is vanity, and chasing after the wind.