It’s been two years since I did not visit a barbershop. My hair has grown long beyond my shoulder. I have never planned to have long hair before, but in these late two years, all my cognitive function was oriented toward within myself. It’s true. The consequence is all the things outside me, were neglected.
In these two years of growing my hair, there is unconscious behavior that I often do, which was I realized just recently; there were times when I really like my long hair and just let it free rolled down, but there were also times when I felt so uncomfortable with it.
This realization came recently when I got some unpleasant news. Suddenly my hand was done his thing unconsciously. It took the red rubber on the table that was used to wrap a Padang Food that I bought near the street, then it tied my hair two times like Gautama Buddha’s hair. Nobody knows exactly, how was Gautama Buddha’s hairstyle looked like, but the lack of hairstyle reference and for sake of practicality, let’s just say Buddha’s Hairstyle. Feel free to check it on Google.
This seemingly banal realization came very intuitively and suddenly, when I tied my hair in the mirror and look at my face. I am aware that the time I feel distressed, occupied, or busy doing daily and banal routine, or when meeting people, when I write or working on something, when I go out in minimart and about to pay my thing to the pretty lady on the counter, the time when I go hiking and in front of me there is a steep hill, I would unconsciously sigh then tied my hair.
On the other hand, while I sat and doing nothing, and be mindful and attentive about all things surround me; the green leaves of plants in the garden, the beautiful pattern, and colors of a flower, the subtle movement of the clouds above, those are the times when I felt so alive. My mind would go quiet and still, and my heart would free itself from all the worry and worldly attachment, and I would just let my hair roll down freely. Lately, those moments have often happened. Probably that is why the realization about hair came into consciousness. I really like my long hair at those time, when it touched my cheek and covered half of the face.
This unconscious behavior and the long hair phenomenon put me in deep reflection about life. I started to think about hair and the meaning behind it. Don’t get this wrong. Hair is not only about looking good esthetically. Hair is a very important element for almost all living beings.
For animals, hair serves a biological function. Hair maintains the biological function of the body by trapping the heat and protect the body from the cold. The animals which live in the northern hemisphere could survive the harsh winter and extreme cold because of the hair on their body. Sami people in Lapland, Scandinavia, could live in minus 30 degrees Celsius temperature and survive the extreme cold in the wilderness because they are very much dependent on reindeer hair.
Many cultures on the world view hair as something important and use it as an integral element for the spiritual ritual or tradition. Native Americans, for instance, grow their long hair to signify the connection with Mother Earth. They let it grow long as a sign of unity with the flow of energy in life.
In certain times and customs, they will cut their long hair to mourn the loss or the death of beloved relatives, then they took the hair in nature and bury in the ground or burn it in the most sacred way. After that, they begin to grow their hair again as a symbol of a new beginning. For these people, growing hair is an expression of manifested relation with Mother Earth and human or human with life.
In the Himalayas, the Sādhus, people who undergo the ascetic way of life and are often referred to as holy men, let all the hair grow long and wildly. The mythology of Samson from Israel tradition, probably the most talked-about story that signifies the hair as an important symbol or element in the story. The long hair in the story is a symbol of the god-given power towards Samson. With the blessing of God, Samson has extremely physical power to fight the enemy of God on earth. When the hair was cut by his lover, Delilah, who was bribed with a thousand silver coins, Samson then lost his power.
In everyday life in Indonesia, the popular culture of a certain environment, the hair also plays a role as a symbol and often tells a story; the artists are often identified with long hair, Mapala or people at the Mountaineering Club in University like to grow their hair long, etc. These phenomena of men growing hair are much found in the area or field that gives value to freedom and creativity.
I don’t give much attention to the glorification of long-haired men in certain cultures or environments, or more so to the pseudoscientific claims that long hair gives an extrasensory capability to its owner. I see this phenomenon of growing long hair, especially in men, as a pattern of an unconscious phenomenon that draws the line across the cultures. As a story, this is very interesting.
The Modern Society and The Stigma of Long-Haired Men
Modern society is built on rational values as a basis. Long-haired men in our culture, especially in Indonesia, are seen as something messy and sloppy, unaesthetic, and signify uncertainty of the owner’s future in life. The mothers will make sure their daughters stop seeing or socializing with this kind of man. Students at school must cut their hair short and neat as a sign of obedience and orderliness. In University, those who finish their thesis and about to graduate will be rejected if they don’t cut their hair short.
In social life, modernity requires the relation between the human being and its environment is based on rational values; everything must structured, systematic, mechanistic, specialized, rigid. It shifted the view from the relations of human and nature, to the human and city. Modern view seen life in a dualistic way, there is no grey area. Everything must be white or black, sinister or saint, right or wrong.
The stigma and stereotype of long-haired men, and all kinds of its negative connotation in society, could be a very clear sign of the mind of society; where have we set our direction to develop together as a whole.
Carl Gustav Jung, a psychiatrist from Switzerland, proposed the concept of Anima and Animus. Anima is feminine qualities within biological men. Animus is the masculine qualities of biological women. As an Archetype, the structure of the psyche, the meaning of femininity and masculinity are not as narrow as we think. These two are the primordial energy that exists in life.
Masculinity is characterized as the energy that gives structure to life. It is rational, solid, firm, and systematic. Masculinity gives order and discipline on every level and aspect of life, as an individual or as a society. Those traits serve a purpose in getting knowledge, that’s why those characteristics are important in the scientific method and study; distant from the object, cold, rational, unemotional, unbiased. This function is important for getting objective knowledge, to collect, to differ, to analyze, to categorize so the information acquired is free from bias and vague concepts.
Femininity is creative and fluid energy that flows in nature. It nurtures and gives life to all creatures. Femininity gives meaning and understanding to life because it approaches life through sense and feeling. If masculinity is the ground, femininity is the water flowing on the surface to nurture and give birth to life. Without the feminine aspect of life, the land will get dry and end up killing all the living beings. Rather than trying to destroy each other, the two opposite energy trying to balance each other so that life could flourish. They complement each other, and the domination of one aspect of life would result in an imbalance on a personal level or the society level. If that happens, only a matter of time before destructive symptoms and behavior start to appear as compensatory mechanisms.
Probably that’s the reason why the history of cultures in the world, woman mostly has long hair because in those cultures they serve the feminine function on society. While the men served the masculine function in politics to organize society. This is not really about whether it’s right nor wrong, but more about sensible awareness that could be perceived. Sure, it is a narrow view of the concepts. Because these characters are not tied down on one gender or sex. Both sexes have two aspects within themselves. One sex might be dominated by one aspect of energy, but one has to balance these two energies to live a meaningful and fulfilling life. Those who failed, would repress another aspect and cause unhealthy behavior.
Now, let us back to the question. Are we as a society, or human, have worked our way to balance these two aspects? Or are we unconsciously have repressed and dominated another aspect that causes an imbalance in society?
With this understanding, we probably now could see the phenomenon of long-haired men as an unconscious symbol. In the New Order regime, in Indonesia, long hair in men is a symbol of resistance towards a society that was dominated by the ‘short-haired’ regime. As a way, long hair tries to bring back those creative and fluid relations in life which are lacking in society. Probably those who choose long hair as a way, get tired of the conception of manhood and masculinity. Or maybe, in a spiritual context, long hair is a symbol of vertical relation to Mother Nature, and long hair in an effort to build the connections that have been cut because of the banal, mechanistic, worldly affairs.
If we talk about hair from the spiritual, philosophical, or unconscious perspective, the bald or the less-haired people is also an interesting phenomenon. The monk in Buddhism shaves their head as a symbol. In the spiritual tradition in the Himalayas, the separation of Hinduism and Buddhism was signified by the view of self as a core concept. Buddhism does not believe in the concept of the divine self or Atman in Hinduism. It might be the reason there is no concept of connection or unity between the Atman and Brahaman — the soul of the universe. Buddhism has the concept of Sunyata or nothingness; a transcendent state of mind because of a detachment of worldly matter.
If Hinduism and its long hair, is the way of the feeling or sense and its connection to nature, probably Buddhism is a metaphor of the way of the mind. Buddhism took the very rationalistic approach by cutting hair as a symbol of the connection of self with nature or God.
But, if we symbolize hair as a way or the road, whichever road we take must be taken consciously ad seriously as a way to find deeper meaning and understanding about life. Whatever the way, it has to be the most personal and intimate, no one should be judged for their decision. One could choose long hair, less hair, bald, or a popular hairstyle — maybe pompadour. No one knows what is within one’s heart.
Humans should not be valued by how long the hair in their head, or how many hairs he has on their body, but instead the question; has those lips smile often enough to other human beings? Or has those eyes have enough clarity in it, that emits the light of its soul?
Makassar, 31 March 2021
