I first shaved my head in March of 2001. I remember it well because we had two major snowfalls within the next week and I could tell the difference.
I also remember the day I made the decision. We were living in an apartment complex outside of Osan Air Base, Korea and there was a barber shop right there. I walked in and told her to take it all off. She was a bit surprised. “Are you sure?” “Yes. This will be the last time someone cuts my hair.” And it was.
I was never one to worry about my hair. Didn’t care. Never used any sprays or gels – certainly no dyes. I do remember that at some point in my life I just started brushing it straight back, but that’s pretty much the extent of my giving it any thought. And besides, it’s right there in the Bible: “If a man’s hair falls out from his head, he is bald; he is clean.”
I can recognize there are big, dead areas in my life – areas about which I think nothing. So if you could wander into my brain for a look, “nothing” is exactly what you would get in the “gotta look good for people” file. Maybe it’s because of this that I personally can’t understand why anyone would care about having a full head of hair. I guess maybe it’s that some people think it’s like the difference between having a perfectly sculpted body and a beer belly. Sure, we’d all like to be a bit healthier. But in all honesty, having a spare tire around one’s waist is far more dangerous than not having any hair – as long as you remember the sun screen.
The world’s population is approaching 8 billion, and we come in all shapes and sizes. There are really few people whom we could call “stunningly beautiful” (like Audrey Hepburn, the second most beautiful woman in the world). But we humans are so enamored with physical beauty that we’ve dedicated entire industries to it – and exploiting it. We’re caught in a paradox – a world that decries the objectification of people, and yet uses their appearance to attract buyers (not to mention a world that decries sexual abuse, and yet supports an industry that literally sells the images of people for sexual gratification). They use people by accentuating those assets that most attract the eyes of those who would buy the product.
We all like to see things that are beautiful, and that includes people. But we also have to be ready to accept the reality that very few people are going to be so attractive that it matters. We’re not going into careers as models or movie stars. We certainly want to be presentable, but being clean with a well-kept appearance is not the same as being “gorgeous.” And honestly, does it really matter? Your appearance may open doors for you, but do you really want to live in a world so shallow that so much of your success depends upon how you look and not the quality of your work and character? You do realize that the looks seldom stay with you, don’t you? The Bible’s good on this one too: “Charm is deceitful, and beauty in vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
I don’t know. Perhaps hair is part of the carefully crafted package. I know people who would say I look better with a beard, so maybe others look better with hair. A beard can be used to shape the face and cover up a weak chin. But if I had a perfect jaw, why would I cover it with a beard?
And if I had a perfect head, why would I cover it with hair? Maybe that’s the key here. It’s not that anyone is trying to make themselves presentable. It might be that they only have something to hide…
