Previous

Next

Ask a Question

Summary of Question:	Long Hair
Category:	Hair
Date Posted:	Friday, 4/12/2002 5:34 PM MDT

Wahe guru ji ka khalsa, wahe guru ji ki fateh:

My 14 year old daugther desperately wants to cut her hair, because some boys at school tease her that she looks ugly with long hair and a bun. I have explained to her that she must be strong and self confident, and these boys are not important to her success in life. However, she is still looking for a logical reason to not cut hair. Can I get a a logical answer?

Satriakal.

*******
REPLY
*******

Sat Sri Akal,

First, I would like to say that if there are people teasing your daughter, then you have the right to complain about it to the principal and the problem must be solved from the principals point of view. Teasing is not allowed in public schools.

Secondly, the most logical reason I can think of to keep one's hair is identity. Guru Gobind Singh Ji asked his Sikhs to keep their hair because that hair reminds us who we are and what we believe it. If everyday we have to look at and take of our long and beautiful hair we then remember why we keep it and the why we are Sikhs.

Historically, the hindus and muslims drove out the Buddhists and virtually eradicated Jains. The Sikhs were also a "target" to be converted or driven out, but because we LOOK different it is very hard to slowly have a Sikh change his or her beliefs. If a Hindu and a Buddhist are standing next to each other, then you can not tell one from the other. The Buddhist might as well be a Hindu. However, put a Sikh in there and then everyone knows that a Sikh is standing there. There is no doubt about it, the long beautiful hair, the bracelet (karra), etc. You can't look at a real Sikh and call her or him a Hindu or a Muslim, they will look like nothing but a beautiful Sikh.

Another logical explanation, though it is VERY hard for a young person to understand this, is that these small struggles that they go through is what builds character. You must know that she will face bigger problems in her life, and if she can come through this problem well, then she will have the character to go through life's tougher problems easily.

We keep hair because Guru Gobind Singh Ji said to, but He didn't just say it because he wanted to. There are reasons he said it, reasons that we can understand and reasons that we can't understand until we have attained a certain level of conciousness.

I am a young man who was born in the United States and have lived here my whole life. I know the struggles that the youth go through, but looking back to my youth, I see that the things I went through helped me become a better person and a better Sikh. I can say that even after having grown up in this Western Society, keeping my hair and seeing all types of people with all types of bodies, I still think that Sikh Women with long hair are the MOST BEAUTIFUL. Think of it this way, these boys are making fun of a girl because of her long hair. These boys sound like boys who have self-esteem problems and aren't really sure of themselves. They have to pick on other people to make themselves feel good. Are these the type of people you want to impress? Of course not.

I hope this helps, please post again if you want to, and let us know how everything is going.

Gur Fateh,
HSD