new thread
http://www.sott.net/article/234783-The-Truth-About-Hair-and-Why-Indians-Would-Keep-Their-Hair-Long
That's a fascinating article, Seminole... another good reason for you to stick to it and grow your hair out... You'll be beautiful, man.
Thank you. I found it through inspiration searching. The process is underway..
I seem to recall someone posted something about this a while back.
Was the conclusion that it was true?
Unfortunately the claim can't be 100 percent verified as with anything governmental. Sorry if it was a double post, new here. Interesting, nonetheless.
Love it! I heard that before, I think on YouTube...about hair being extention of the nervous system...
Thanks again!
The Spaf Man
No problem glad you enjoyed it! I enjoy the part where the speak of it as antennae and how the body has a purpose for every part of it and how it exists in the natural state for a reason.
I've heard about this before and, while some would call it far fetched, I think there could be some validity to it. There's no doubt that the whiskers of a dog or cat are highly sensitive receptive hairs. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to consider that the hair of a person's head could have some receptive sensitivity.
I wonder if the fabled "women's intuition" might just be because their long hair allowed them increased sensory awareness?
Great thoughts and analogy, makes alot of sense. Thank you for sharing.
Seen this before. It's tempting to just pooh-pooh the whole thing as pure fantasy - but hey, you never know. Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction and there are some pretty weird things out there that turned out to have at least some truth to them.
It would be kinda nice if there was a bit of ESP in our hair!
Damon
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I definitely agree difficult to know for sure at least at this point in time. However, it does appear that human head hair grows longer than any other hair of any animal. I sometimes have wondered how it was practical or why our genes allowed the hair on our heads to grow so long while not much hair or short hair found around the rest of the body. Surely, warmth was not the issue because it can only warm so much being situated in a single area. The genes have allowed it to grow such a length for a purpose as well as every other portion of the body I suppose, but what is the purpose?...I've begun to ramble, so I regress. Thank you, for the thought provocation.
I'm not an expert on biology or human anatomy but my gut tells
me it is probably due to blood flow. The head (where the brain
is located has priority over blood flow from what I understand.
I just looked at that part of my anatomy where men get lots of blood flow, and damned, there's more hair growing on my head.
Un, I mean my OTHER head!
Bill
The reason why we have long hair is probably sexual selection, in my opinion. Suffice to consider that some people way back in time found people of the other sex with the gene "Potential longer hair" and found them attractive. Thousand years after, that's us !
Vivien.
There could be some merit to this theory, similar to the idea that the male lion's mane exists primarily to attract mates, and secondarily to protect the neck in combat. Long cranial hair on humans also serves to insulate against the cold, provide a cooling mechanism (when wet) in hot weather, and repel/create a barrier against flying insects such as flies and mosquitoes when "swished" like a horse's tail.
--Val
This article comes around on the MLHH every now and then. It's a bunch of hooey. There is no evidence to suggest that hair length has anything to do with insight, intuition, or supposed paranormal abilities.
--Val
Lack of evidence does not disprove anything. It just means it cannot be explained. Evolution gave humans long hair, so there must be a reason for it. Nobody can say what that reason is, so nothing can be dismissed. This theory is based completely on observation. That observation is that an Indian tracker's skills are reduced when their hair is cut. Correlation does not prove causation, but it doesn't disprove it either. I prefer to keep an open mind about it until I have scientific proof otherwise.
From the article: "When hair is cut, receiving and sending transmissions to and from the environment are greatly hampered. This results in numbing-out."
Baloney. Tell this to the Tibetan lamas who shave their heads regularly.
In regards to the lack of supportable fact in the article, however, you might find the article linked below to be of interest. Quote: "Though many native Americans served in Vietnam, I found no record of any special 'tracker' units, or anything remotely suggestive of the research mentioned in this article. Every indication is that someone just made it up to support their woo belief in not cutting hair. Note: Since 1972 the Immigrations and Customs services have maintained a tiny unit of 15 native American trackers called the Shadow Wolves who follow drug smugglers across the border in a law enforcement capacity, but this was not formed until after Vietnam, and IÂ’ve seen no reference to hair length being a tool they employ."
It's easy to romanticize long hair, and some might find it tempting to believe that it somehow imbues them with special "powers," but the fact of the matter is that the length of a person's hair has NOTHING to do with their degree of intuition or inherent ability to be fully aware of their surroundings. Situational awareness is an important aspect of self protection and combat effectiveness, but it is one that can be learned and developed through consistent practice, not by growing long cranial hair.
--Val
I said nothing about intuition, extra-sensory perception, or anything supernatural. I don't believe that either. But it's well known, especially on this site, that long hair does make one more sensitive to things like air movement, aromas, etc. One of the more often mentioned milestones on this site is feeling the wind in your hair for the first time. Animals with long whiskers are more sensitive to their environment, so it's completely logical and acceptable to conclude that humans may also benefit in a similar way by keeping their hair long. There have been no studies done on the subject, so nobody knows for sure; but to automatically consider the possibility of humans with long hair having higher sensitivity to their environment than those with short hair as "hogwash" without any scientific evidence to the contrary is very closed-minded. Again, I don't believe there's anything supernatural about having long hair, but I urge you to consider the possibility of some real benefits of our natural physical appearance.
It's true that you said nothing about non-physical abilities being imbued by long hair; apologies if I inferred that you did. I completely agree with the points you make regarding the physical sensory functions/attributes of hair and whiskers. The article originally cited, however, repeatedly refers to long hair granting the wearer "intuition," "sixth sense," and the ability to predict whether an approaching individual presents danger. I assert that this is false; there is no rational reason to believe it is true.
The burden of scientific proof does not lie on the one who DOUBTS the claim; in fact, the burden of scientific proof rests with the one MAKING the claim. If I told you that I stopped to have coffee on my way to work this morning, you might believe me (though it is not true), because coffee and coffee shops exist, and it is plausible that I have a job. However, if I told you that I stopped to have coffee with an eight-legged, rhinestone-encrusted unicorn on my way to work this morning, nobody would expect you to accept that as true, despite your inability to disprove it.
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." (Carl Sagan)
I have several friends from Russia who are current/former members of "Spetsnaz" (special operations) units. They are, without question, among the most highly trained combat operatives in the world, with unmatched tracking, survival, and awareness/sensitivity skills. I have other friends who are masters of Qigong and traditional Oriental medicine, acutely "in tune" with the balance of energy systems within themselves, their environment, and other people (all of which is now supported by Western science). None of these people have long hair, though if they did, it certainly wouldn't hamper their abilities, either.
There is NO evidence--extraordinary or otherwise--to suggest that the length of a person's hair influences his or her non-physical "intuition," "sixth sense," or ability to predict whether an approaching individual presents danger. Considered alongside the fact that this alleged Viet Nam-era tracking unit seems never to have existed, I can only categorize this article as bunk.
Cheers,
Val
In general, I totally agree with you (and the unicorn comment made me laugh). But another point to consider is someone who has a lifetime of experience under certain conditions suddenly having to deal with a major change. In this case, Indians who have learned all their skills while wearing their hair long suddenly being thrust into a new situation in unfamiliar surroundings and then getting all their hair cut off. That has to have an impact on their abilities. I haven't had long hair all my life and even I would have to go through an adjustment period before I would be comfortable again. I highly doubt their skills are diminished, but they can't be completely unaffected by such a radical change, at least temporarily.
The article itself is kind of self-serving and far-fetched. We have no disagreement there.