Lecture 21: On cutting the hair.
He used to say that a man should cut the hair from the head for the same reason that we prune a vine, that is merely to remove what is useless.
But just as the eyebrows or eyelashes which perform a service in protecting the eyes should not be cut, so neither should the beard be cut from the chin (for it is not superfluous), but it too has been provided for us by Nature as a kind of cover or protection.
Moreover, the beard is nature's symbol of the male just as is the crest of the cock and the mane of the lion; so one ought to remove the growth of hair that becomes burdensome, but nothing of the beard; for the beard is no burden so long as the body is healthy and not afflicted with any disease for which it is necessary to cut the hair from the chin.
Perhaps only what we do with our hair can be any sillier than what we do with our clothing and our property. All of the preening reflects how we wish to be seen, instead of showing a love for who we really are.
I didn’t get away with as much as most of my peers, but back in the 80’s I did everything I could to look more like some of my musical heroes, especially synthesizer whiz Howard Jones, complete with exaggerated pompadour.
My primary musical obsession changed somewhere in the 90’s, as it inevitably does for a young fellow, from New Wave to Celtic folk, and so I eventually settled for trying to look more like Scottish fiddler Johnny Cunningham, complete with flowing locks and pensive beard.
I managed both looks poorly, but what I managed even more poorly was learning to be my own man, or learning something from the talents these men shared, instead of just mimicking their appearances.
By now, anyone who has followed along with Musonius Rufus will hopefully know the drill, and that should be a good thing, because it means the message might be sinking in.
What should my career be? Which party should I vote for? Is this the right store to shop at? Should I wear white after Labor Day?
Does any of it help me in practicing prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice? Then I should do that. Does any of it hinder me from practicing prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice? Then I should avoid doing that. If it doesn’t make a difference either way, then I am completely free to go either way.
“But wait!” I might ask. “What are these virtues? Why do they matter? How do I recognize them? In what way do they help me to become happier?”
Now those are precisely the question I need to be asking myself, instead of worrying about my record collection, or the size of the coffee I will order today, or which school district is best for getting my kids into the classiest college. I am well advised to get to the heart of the matter.
Back to the hair: Is it doing what it should, or is it getting in the way? Nature gave us hair for very practical reasons. What else could matter, other than vanity?
Fashions are odd things. Greek men had generally liked their beards, while Roman men generally believed a distinguished man should be clean-shaven. In Rome, long hair with a beard also tended to be a sign of the artsy philosopher types, and cropped hair a sign of the respectable folks. I suppose it has finally, after many centuries of extreme variations, come back to that again, hasn’t it?
Pardon the terrible pun, but Musonius cuts to the chase. Trim your hair whenever it is a burden. As for the beard, a man should keep it, if possible, not for the sake of style, but as a mark of his sex.
Yes, Nature made man and woman different, just as she made the peacock and the peahen different, or the lion and the lioness different. Don’t be fooled by the fact that one is bigger and showier than the other, since neither one is ultimately any better than the other; balance and complementarity are wonderful things.
Let custom be what it may, but let it always follow the order of Nature.
He used to say that a man should cut the hair from the head for the same reason that we prune a vine, that is merely to remove what is useless.
But just as the eyebrows or eyelashes which perform a service in protecting the eyes should not be cut, so neither should the beard be cut from the chin (for it is not superfluous), but it too has been provided for us by Nature as a kind of cover or protection.
Moreover, the beard is nature's symbol of the male just as is the crest of the cock and the mane of the lion; so one ought to remove the growth of hair that becomes burdensome, but nothing of the beard; for the beard is no burden so long as the body is healthy and not afflicted with any disease for which it is necessary to cut the hair from the chin.
Perhaps only what we do with our hair can be any sillier than what we do with our clothing and our property. All of the preening reflects how we wish to be seen, instead of showing a love for who we really are.
I didn’t get away with as much as most of my peers, but back in the 80’s I did everything I could to look more like some of my musical heroes, especially synthesizer whiz Howard Jones, complete with exaggerated pompadour.
My primary musical obsession changed somewhere in the 90’s, as it inevitably does for a young fellow, from New Wave to Celtic folk, and so I eventually settled for trying to look more like Scottish fiddler Johnny Cunningham, complete with flowing locks and pensive beard.
I managed both looks poorly, but what I managed even more poorly was learning to be my own man, or learning something from the talents these men shared, instead of just mimicking their appearances.
By now, anyone who has followed along with Musonius Rufus will hopefully know the drill, and that should be a good thing, because it means the message might be sinking in.
What should my career be? Which party should I vote for? Is this the right store to shop at? Should I wear white after Labor Day?
Does any of it help me in practicing prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice? Then I should do that. Does any of it hinder me from practicing prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice? Then I should avoid doing that. If it doesn’t make a difference either way, then I am completely free to go either way.
“But wait!” I might ask. “What are these virtues? Why do they matter? How do I recognize them? In what way do they help me to become happier?”
Now those are precisely the question I need to be asking myself, instead of worrying about my record collection, or the size of the coffee I will order today, or which school district is best for getting my kids into the classiest college. I am well advised to get to the heart of the matter.
Back to the hair: Is it doing what it should, or is it getting in the way? Nature gave us hair for very practical reasons. What else could matter, other than vanity?
Fashions are odd things. Greek men had generally liked their beards, while Roman men generally believed a distinguished man should be clean-shaven. In Rome, long hair with a beard also tended to be a sign of the artsy philosopher types, and cropped hair a sign of the respectable folks. I suppose it has finally, after many centuries of extreme variations, come back to that again, hasn’t it?
Pardon the terrible pun, but Musonius cuts to the chase. Trim your hair whenever it is a burden. As for the beard, a man should keep it, if possible, not for the sake of style, but as a mark of his sex.
Yes, Nature made man and woman different, just as she made the peacock and the peahen different, or the lion and the lioness different. Don’t be fooled by the fact that one is bigger and showier than the other, since neither one is ultimately any better than the other; balance and complementarity are wonderful things.
Let custom be what it may, but let it always follow the order of Nature.
Written in 7/2000
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