Beards

Facial hair is cultural. Have you ever seen a modern-day US president with a beard? How often do you see a US executive with a beard? When I worked for a funeral home, I shaved off what little chin hair I had to be able to serve better. I guess we like clean shaven funeral directors.

My brother Brad with a new friend Ranjit

How do you like this beard!? I once worked with a guy at a rental shop, a white American, who had a beard like Ranjit's. I thought he was a ZZ Top groupie. I would be surprised if Ranjit has heard of ZZ Top.

When I lived in East Africa, I was a clean shaven guy. That is until Mushtaag the butcher asked my wife if she was married "to that boy" - referring to me! So I began to look around. Every guy had something growing on his face. And a lot of it didn't look very good. So from that day on, I grew a goatee and mustache. Later I learned that one of the measures of a man in our host culture is facial hair. Something equivalent in America is....is...not really sure....perhaps a cultural deficiency.

Anyways. There is a fascinating story in 2 Samuel 10 about the importance of beards related to one's honor. King David has just been installed as king over a unified Israel. Upon hearing about the death of the king of Ammon, David sends ambassadors to extend sympathies to the next of kin. Assuming they are spies, the new king shaves half the beards of the David's men off and cuts a hole in their clothes so that their butt is waggling in the air. The men are "greatly humiliated."

Knowing that the he had become a stench in David's nose, the new king of Ammon mobilizes his soldiers and hires Aram's soldiers to go to battle with Israel. The battle was short-lived as David was easily victorious.

Culture is interesting. The use of facial hair in culture is interesting too.