Posted by Anthony (other posts) on September 28, 2016 at 10:22:50 Previous Next
In Reply to: Reflections on the Journey posted by Goku on September 28, 2016 at 09:21:08:
I think most of us have similar experiences. Most people in town or around us, those who don’t know us, couldn’t care less. We are all used to seeing people presenting themselves with tattoos, piercings and weird clothes. A man with long hair is no different, though it depends on his apparent age and how he’s dressed. Most of us keep our mouths shut about other people and let them get on with life, and they respect or at least tolerate our choices. Most other people are like the sea: they will tolerate you and let you get on in life, but wouldn’t care if you dropped dead in front of them. We have to get used to that indifference and have no need of other people’s approval to affirm our own personality.
Where there might be problems is at work or in our family or among friends. I have found with my wife that I have ignored her criticisms of it becoming ratty as it grows. Looking at the photos of me with short hair and now show that the thickness hasn’t changed, only the length. I am fortunate to be self-employed and working at home. Many jobs with corporations require short hair and a “conventional” look, and others will tolerate a ponytail. Again, don’t expect people to approve and don’t be put off when they express disapproval.
As many times before, I mention the theme of Romanticism which is brought up in the famous book “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”. Some of us go by convention, rules and status. Others go by feeling, intuition and doing our own thing.
I too felt unimpressed by my growth, and then a couple of days ago when I was looking up to get something off a high shelf, I felt hair tickling my lower back! That’s new! So there we are…
The journey is similar for most of us, but we have or different lives. Yes, long hair – being out of fashion since the 1970’s – is a mark of our individuality and our difference with social convention. Something of the Romantic, the Pre-Raphaelite, the Bohemian and the Hippie has remained, and the theme keeps coming up again and again. Long hair on a man is often a sign of that temperament and philosophy of life. We are proud of it but respect others and refrain from pushing our own options down their throats.
We sense the occasion, when it’s best to tie up or leave loose. Mine is loose most of the time, but I do a ponytail for formal occasions or for practical / safety reasons, for example when using a machine or a power tool, or when it’s sweltering hot. “Keep calm and carry on”, as we Brits used to say during the war. Good luck with the rest…
Anthony