new thread
For the philosophers among you I found this beautiful quote on the internet:
To romanticize the world is to make us aware of the magic, mystery and wonder of the world; it is to educate the senses to see the ordinary as extraordinary, the familiar as strange, the mundane as sacred, the finite as infinite.
This beautiful young man took the pen name Novalis, but his real name was Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg (2nd May 1772 – 25th March 1801). Like many philosophers and poets of that era, he died very young of tuberculosis. He also had long natural hair which you can see in the photo.
The symbolism is there, long hair being a sign of "nobility of spirit" as many philosophers in the tradition of German Idealism and Romanticism expressed. I am presently reading an English translation of some of his work, which is beautiful.
Hi Anthony,
Great picture of a man who lived so long before any of us.To this day I'll never understand the allure of short haircuts on men,especially the buzz cut!I just chalk it up to guys following the herd mentality for whatever that is worth.I'm just happy going my own direction in life and not looking back.Cheers
Mârk
Until 2013, I cut my hair quite short. I had the impression it was the "done thing" and it seemed more practical. I always hated haircuts from my childhood. My old desire for long hair and its symbolism was suppressed.
Then, I had been through seminary, where we were expected to keep it short and neat.
I think that most men just follow uncritically. It was quite a battle for me to break out of the mould and grow my hair.
It is the spirit of conformity and the least resistance. Nowadays, the prevailing fashion for young men is a military style with the hair a couple of inches long on the top of the head and the back and sides shaved away. Horrible!
We longhairs have different cultural references. I tend to identify with the old philosophers, composers and writers of the beginning of the 19th century and before. That's my "thing".
Anthony
