Long Hair

Milfoil

A friend showed me this:

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/2...ir-and-Why-Indians-Would-Keep-Their-Hair-Long

It makes sense in many ways and especially when agressors attempt to dehumanise victims by shaving their heads (concentration camps, prisons etc).

Yet part of me wonders about people like monks and nuns who deliberately remove their hair, whether completely shaving their heads or tonsure or simply cutting short. Complete removal of hair from the body has long been a hallmark of higher spiritual aspiration and linked with distancing ourselves from our animal nature. I wonder if we are getting it wrong and our animal nature is a valid and necessary part of 'being'?

Would love to hear your thoughts on this.
 

Debra

It's the culture, I think, that makes people feel more or less spiritually empowered with more or less hair.

Me, I go for less. I feel taller and stronger and more in touch with my surroundings when the air can get to my skull. When my hair's long it's huge and drags me down.

I could swear we talked about this article here somewhere.
 

firecatpickles

Originally, haircuts were a way to keep the instances of lice down (mostly in foxholes), I believe. In today's modern warfare terrain, especially since troops are exposed to more and more chemical agents and natural agents (such as high high exposure to UV's), coupled with a higher standard of personal grooming, perhaps the military should rethink their haircut policy. Miltary haircuts are outdated.
 

Libra8ca

Interesting article! I've always had my hair long, mainly because it looks better on me. I'm definitely more intuitive than my parents who have their hair short.
I'm now trying to picture men that I know with long hair :D, I think most look better with short hair....and bald men are just out of luck :D

ETA: it's interesting that we often picture fortune tellers / gypsies with crystal balls with long hair!
 

cardlady22

Very interesting. I have always preferred long hair- on men and women. I do think there is a large component of "intent" involved though. Twice in my life, I chose to have 3-5 inches cut off and it felt like a reset. When I was a teen, my grandmother arranged an appointment for me at a hair salon- and had the woman whack off my hair to the neck. (after repeated statements that i wanted a feather but no length removed) Not a happy camper & I've avoided professional hair places the rest of my life. :p
I've considered that if I am ever diagnosed with cancer, I will go have my head attended to on purpose.
 

Tuilirose

This sounds like a tall tale from the fanciful world of the American Indian Reservations, which I worked on for years, to me.

I don't doubt that there are many things which have not been fully explained (do we really want everything to be explained!?), and I have to admit I have also wondered about the meaning of that Bible story, but the Army spending time and manpower doing this kind of research, and with only one Ethnic group? I am a bit skeptical.

I think someone is pulling the cats whiskers on this one!

I do have to ask you Milfoil. You worked in Africa. There must be many skilled hunters, of all ethnic groups, in Africa. Did you ever hear a story like this over there?
 

NorthernTigress

I saw this article posted somewhere else, and I have to say that for me, it definitely does not "make sense" in any way at all. Hair as a part of the nervous system? Hair as a sensory organ? Hair, except for the root, is DEAD. That's why we don't scream in agony when we get haircuts.

I'm pretty sure that any changes shown by these "experiments" would have a psychological origin. As others have said, self-confidence and self-identity.
 

Milfoil

I wouldn't say that I worked in Africa, only spent a brief time there in a humanitarian role. Good call though, many African Marabu men have short hair.
 

Carla

NorthernTigress said:
I saw this article posted somewhere else, and I have to say that for me, it definitely does not "make sense" in any way at all. Hair as a part of the nervous system? Hair as a sensory organ? Hair, except for the root, is DEAD. That's why we don't scream in agony when we get haircuts.

I'm pretty sure that any changes shown by these "experiments" would have a psychological origin. As others have said, self-confidence and self-identity.
Click to expand...

I agree with you on this. I've always thought hair was kind of weird, head hair especially, which just continues to grow and grow. That's weird. I can't think of any other animal on earth that has hair that doesn't stop growing once it gets a certain length--usually fairly short (in comparison to human hair). But I digress.

I like short hair, I think it looks nicer on everyone--but if people want to grow their out, that's fine, too. I don't believe hair has any power, or that cutting the hair takes anything away. I've had both long hair and short hair and can't say that it made any difference either way. I think if the Indians felt that it did, that's just part of their cultural upbringing, not anything to do with reality.
 
Interesting Sermon A spiritual daily practice?