Re: Why are we allowed to cut nails but not hair?
Tejwant Ji,
Once again thanks for your response. But you assumed a lot of things while responding.
Is not using a toilet paper something degrading? Have you heard of something called Bidet
I didn't say not using toilet paper is any way inferior. I spent my formative years in Delhi where toilet paper is still not the norm.
I am very well aware of Bidet and its predecessor the famed 'Lota/Mug'
Reason I mentioned the toilet paper was beacause you were trying to do some sort of comparison between ways of early man and us. I didn't mean any disrespect to anyone.
But from what I gather, your true inquiry is nothing to do with the ails. You want to find some justification as a Sikh to cut your hair.
Again you are assuming while overlooking my question. Why is it wrong to cut hair? Comparison with nails comes in because the most common explanation for not cutting hair is that they are a gift from God.
I get the part about early man not having to specifically cut nails since the nails didn't grow too big due to their living conditions. But that really has nothing do with my question.
How does early man not cutting nails explains us not cutting our hair? For thousands of years before Sikhism came into existence, people around the world were cutting their hair as well as nails. What changed with sikhism? Why did changing our appearance in one way(cutting nails) became acceptable and in another way (cutting hair) unacceptable.
You want to find some justification as a Sikh to cut your hair.
No. I am not looking for a justification to cut my hair. I am looking for a justification to keep my hair.
I would appreciate if you can leave your pre conceived notions about me for a while and genuinely try to answer my question.
No one is stopping you to do that. Your journey is your own, that is what Sikhi is all about. Your cutting hair, does not affect me nor anyone else. It only depends on what you are looking for within as a person and how you want to grow within which will depend on what path you choose.
I can't convey to you how much I appreciate this comment. Understanding and inclusiveness should be the central tenant of all religions.
Again, I am not eager to go down a path that would upset me as well as my family. But it's hard for me suppress the questions within me if I don't get any answers, spiritual or otherwise?
So, you are looking for a scientific skepticism rather than the religious one to find your religious answer.
I am looking for a rational answer that can stand the test of critical thinking. I don't care from where it comes.
How utopically interesting!
Yes it is.
Doesn't that we say about the gravity?
Are you trying to compare gravity with religion and spirituality??
You do realise experiments on gravity satisfy the most basic criteria of science. Gravity is predictable, demonstrable and repeatable.
Even though research is still going on to understand its mechanism, noone says that research should be stopped and everyone should accept that God makes two bodies with mass attract each other.
On the other hand the concepts like quoted by Soul_Jyot "People who cut their hair will die terrible deaths" are not predictable or demonstrable.
the nail cutting is just a facade. Deep down you want to cut your hair and you want to justify that with the nails. How interesting.
You find too many things interesting. I like that about you. Natural curiosity is what leads to discoveries.
Again I am not trying to justify 'not cutting' my nails. I have no wish to grow inch long nails. I am trying to justify keeping long hairs. I am seeking an answer to justify keeping long hair. That's the answer you are unable to provide so far!
And I am not seeking this answer just for myself. There would be many more youths, who would come seeking answer for the same question. I hope it never comes to this but what if someday your own children ask you these questions like I asked my parents.
Would you continue to give them the same cyclic explanationslike "We need to look like Mughal emperors"? What if these explanations aren't good enough for them?
In other words you want to emulate our Gurus as you said in your first post but without your hair. You want to be a skeptic and a freethnkers like our Gurus were but on your own terms.
You are still trying to put words in my mouth and fit it into your pre conceived notion that I am looking forward to cut my hair.
But I will try to be patient and tell you this once again. I am not seeking a justification to cut my hair. I am seeking a justification to keep my hair.
I'm glad you find everything I say as interesting. If you keep up with your interest, I hope you will find some answers.
I may be wrong because I am a Sikh, a seeker, a learner. So, I expect myself to make mistakes which is part and parcel of the learning process.
No worries. I am learning too. It's just that I ask more questions so that I have to assume less.
What does,"since in many jobs it is impractical to have long hair. " mean? Does it mean unable to do one's job?
Once again, you assume too much. I said
'impractical'. Where did you get
'unable to do'?
Impractical means 'Not practical.' 'Unable' means NOT being able to do something at all.
Let me use them in a sentence for you:-
Walking from Las Vegas to Los Angeles is
'impractical' but doable, given enough time and resources. But I am '
unable' to swim from Las Vegas to Los Angeles since there is no water body connecting the two cities.
Don't worry about this. We all make mistakes.
Now let's proceed, shall we?
A Sikh's duty is to learn, unlearn and relearn daily.
I am glad you pointed this out. That's part of the reason why I am trying to seek answers. I hope we all are always open to 'unlearn' our blind beliefs and ready to 'learn' concepts which lead us to a True path.
My Sikhi with my hair and turban has always been my asest and I have lived all around the world, even 9 years in Brazil.
I'm glad to see you have lived a successfull and fulfilling life so far. I am even more glad to see that you live near the 'Sin city'. Living in Vegas would be like a dream come true for me
But I hope you are not assuming that I am having problems 'fitting in' since most sikh youth in west go through that phase. I am past that. Since I am successful in what I am doing, I don't have any problems with 'fitting in'. i am not seeking answers to become acceptable to others.
Once again, it is nothing to do nails but all to do with your faith which is Sikhi.
You are partly correct. It has lots to do with my faith which is Sikhi. I am seeking answers to help keep my faith. I don't see anything wrong with that.
i hope some one will be able to find the answers and enlighten me too?
Thanks and Best Regards