The world is a changing place and you never know what will become the new “cool” thing to do. Two universal ways of handling a situation are either to do so according to one’s personal needs, or one can base a decision on how it will be seen by others. The vast majority of people fall on the side of being worried about what others are saying and thinking. People have a natural desire to belong, and to fit in with a certain group. No matter what group an individual chooses, that individual almost always is forced to sacrifice a part of them self in order to seem more a part of things.Recently, Sean, a friend of mine asked what I thought about having his tongue - yes, his tongue - pierced with a metal rod. It is clear that there are obvious problems that can happen due to a tongue piercing. The physical risks of a tongue piercing are very great. Despite the fact that I tried to talk him out of it, Sean went ahead and had a rod stuck through his tongue. What did Sean have to sacrifice in order to be part of the crowd? Well, The stud that goes through the tongue is positioned at a particular place where, allegedly, the tongue has fewer nerve endings. If the person doing the piercing gets it "right" the pain and discomfort is not unbearable - if they miss the "spot" the pain is severely excruciating. In any case, there is significant swelling of the tongue from the injury and the risk of infection is high. So in other words, every time Sean eats, swallows or talks he is moving the post. It does not get "forgotten" like a pierced ear is - it is always with you. He may very well of sacrificed the comfort of his tongue for life.I understand the desire to be "different," to shock your family and friends, to be cool and "in." For years, people have sacrificed their physical looks and grown their hair long, or painted their fingernails black, or worn bell-bottoms, or tie-died their shirts, all part of the growing up scene for e...
