More "whys?"

I’m wondering “why” on a couple of things I’ve been observing these days.

Why are so many of our young men sporting beards or half-growth beards. Look at some of our sports teams. Look at the magazine models for clothes and the like and so many of them sport a three or four-day growth of facial hair. Is this the new look? Are beards back into youthful fashion? As I remember reading beards were fashionable in the early 1800’s, but then came the fashionable coif’s of moustaches and side-burns.

Part of me thinks it might be a middle eastern influence. Part of me thinks it might be the advertising guru’s thinking that beard stubble is masculine and appealing to the public. The other part of me thinks it may be a cover-up for a personal youthful fear that to be different from the rest of the world is wrong at this time; perhaps a desire to blend in; a willingness to give away one’s physical persona.  Who knows.

The other thing that bothers me is texting instead of conversation. WE ARE LOOSING THE ART OF TALKING TO ONE ANOTHER. Talking to one another engages the heart and understanding often results. Texting engenders a dispassion that is harmful to agreement and consensus and conflict often results.