The remark of Zeno was well made that it is quite as natural to cut the hair as it is to let it grow long, in order not to be burdened by too much of it nor hampered for any activity.
For Nature plainly keeps a more careful guard against deficiency than against excess, in both plants and animals, since the removal of excess is much easier and simpler than the addition of what is lacking.
In both cases man's common sense ought to assist Nature, so as to make up the deficiencies as much as possible and fill them out, and to lessen and eliminate the superfluous.
My own life has unfortunately been marked by my clumsy struggle to find that precious mean between extremes, and the tempest-in-a-teacup saga of my hair is a trivial but telling consequence of this.
I would grow it out to ridiculous lengths whenever I was feeling carefree, and then I would immediately buzz it all off, right down to the scalp, whenever I faced an existential crisis. Like a sort of archeological stratigraphy, or a dendrochronology with trees, you could tell my state of mind by how long or short my hair was in a series of photos over the years.
I certainly do not recommend such a path. Let your hair grow out as long as you can manage it, since you can’t get it right back once you’ve cut it.
Similarly, and far more importantly, keep what is dear to you as close as you can, since you can’t recover it once it has been abandoned. Nature advises caution over rashness.
There is no substitute for a balanced soul. Moving around all the other little bits and pieces in our lives is not a replacement for getting our hearts and minds in order.
For me, fighting to be compassionate has ultimately been one part of a cure. Think like he must think, feel like she must feel, and then the great divide is bridged, and then there is no need for any of the hatred.
And then there is certainly no need for any ceremonial chopping of the hair. Dramatic gestures are not required, only some common sense.
Yes, I know that common sense isn’t so common, but that is really just a play on words. The common is not what everyone else does; the common is a recognition of basic truths and of a shared humanity, the willingness to go with Nature, not to fight against her.
Remove the accidental while retaining the essential. Never throw it away unless it demands that you do an injustice. Love the right things without condition, and the wrong things will then pass away of their own accord.
Philosophy has far more to do with hairstyles than I might think.
For Nature plainly keeps a more careful guard against deficiency than against excess, in both plants and animals, since the removal of excess is much easier and simpler than the addition of what is lacking.
In both cases man's common sense ought to assist Nature, so as to make up the deficiencies as much as possible and fill them out, and to lessen and eliminate the superfluous.
My own life has unfortunately been marked by my clumsy struggle to find that precious mean between extremes, and the tempest-in-a-teacup saga of my hair is a trivial but telling consequence of this.
I would grow it out to ridiculous lengths whenever I was feeling carefree, and then I would immediately buzz it all off, right down to the scalp, whenever I faced an existential crisis. Like a sort of archeological stratigraphy, or a dendrochronology with trees, you could tell my state of mind by how long or short my hair was in a series of photos over the years.
I certainly do not recommend such a path. Let your hair grow out as long as you can manage it, since you can’t get it right back once you’ve cut it.
Similarly, and far more importantly, keep what is dear to you as close as you can, since you can’t recover it once it has been abandoned. Nature advises caution over rashness.
There is no substitute for a balanced soul. Moving around all the other little bits and pieces in our lives is not a replacement for getting our hearts and minds in order.
For me, fighting to be compassionate has ultimately been one part of a cure. Think like he must think, feel like she must feel, and then the great divide is bridged, and then there is no need for any of the hatred.
And then there is certainly no need for any ceremonial chopping of the hair. Dramatic gestures are not required, only some common sense.
Yes, I know that common sense isn’t so common, but that is really just a play on words. The common is not what everyone else does; the common is a recognition of basic truths and of a shared humanity, the willingness to go with Nature, not to fight against her.
Remove the accidental while retaining the essential. Never throw it away unless it demands that you do an injustice. Love the right things without condition, and the wrong things will then pass away of their own accord.
Philosophy has far more to do with hairstyles than I might think.
Written in 7/2000
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