Halloween, a holiday celebrated worldwide on October 31. Observances include everything from haunted attractions to parties to wearing costumes door to door. In America, the only holiday bigger than Halloween is Christmas. 65% of Americans take part in this "special" day.
I ran across a news article released by the Associated Press today. The headline read, "Reformed Skinhead Endures Agony to Remove Tattoos". I took time to read the article which described the perils endured by this young family because of the belief systems they chose to embrace when they were younger.
It would be easy to take this information and remain calloused to the series of events that were detailed. Yet, on the other side of the coin is a young man and his family who were suffering.
This family has been changed from the inside out, yet Bryon Widner was stuck with markings covering his face, neck, hands and arms that continued to remind him daily of his dark past. They hindered him from finding work. Imagine being so desperate to remove facial tattoos that you are willing to burn them off with a home-made acid concoction. It was to this extreme when the family finally received the help necessary. Long story short, the family managed to get help and today this young man appears "normal".
Halloween is often thought of as a day set aside for children and adults to dress up. Sometimes the costumes are cute - pumpkins, every day type objects, princess, etc. Other times costumes can be more disturbing - skeletons, witches, blood & gore, etc.
A skinhead, as I see it, is a person who typically has their hair close-shaven. They can be, and often are, members of a subculture that embraces specific beliefs about politics or race. In the case of the gentleman described above, he used this area of skin to advertise his beliefs. They are "dressed up" everyday.
It is interesting to me that as a society, we feel like it is okay to judge a person by a costume or even an outward appearance. It's perplexing to see people don a costume that doesn't reflect their belief system at all, yet think that it is alright. But what is really amazing to me, is that there are people in our world that are willing to stand up for what they believe in, no matter what the cost. They are an inspiration.
Bryon Widner took his belief to ultimate levels - epic and extremist. There wasn't a doubt in anyone's mind what he stood for. Fortunately, he realized the err of his ways. Sadly, because of his choices, he had to walk around tattooed whether he believed what those tattoos stood for or not until he found help.
And what about you…Are you able to identify the belief systems of your friends and loved ones? What about the everyday person walking down the street? Are you quick to make an assumption about what type of person they are because of the way they look?
I was taken back a couple of times. Once was when my four year old was captivated by a teenager's mohawk. Rather than allowing her to just stare, I encouraged her to ask him about it. He was very kind and explained to her that he used Elmer's glue to get his hair to stand up like that. (It was then that I had some fear - not of him, but of what she may choose to do!)
Another time, I was working at Lifest - a Christian music venue. A band member from Mother Maylene and the Sons of Disaster came in to receive the band's paycheck. I couldn't help but think of how I would have felt if I had met this person on the street. He was full of tattoos and piercings. He looked kind of scary. But, the lesson learned here is to never judge a book by its cover. This young man sat down with me and we had a great discussion. In fact, he was the highlight of my night, not to mention the memory of our conversation that has lingered over the years.
Do you find yourself judging others by the way they look? Is there a person that is judged a bit harshly because of the way they act? Perhaps there is a good reason behind it like a medical condition or their upbringing. Maybe instead of quietly thinking thoughts to yourself and talking about them later, you want to take a few minutes to begin to get to know the person or pray for them. If you choose prayer though, remember that if this person is a regular in your life, it may require action on your part.
Beyond your own thoughts, how do you think people perceive you? Do you stand up for what you believe in or are you a chameleon? Let your light shine!
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