I got a haircut yesterday and this picture was taken from my car seat immediately after the barber finished. What he did was flip up the front of my hair with a brush and a hair dryer. As I’m sitting in the chair watching him do this I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that I would never set my hair like that. After some considering while he was fixing my hair, I decided to let him do whatever he felt like because I didn’t want to tell him I didn’t like what he was doing. If my dad was in this situation he 100% would tell the person exactly what he wanted. On one hand I agree with always being yourself and being truthful but in the event of something trivial like this, but what am I really accomplishing by pointing out I wouldn’t wear my hair like that? I could offend the barber or just make the haircut experience uncomfortable. By not saying anything I just go home and wet it down and barber Joe doesn’t think twice. Plus I can go back to him ahead with no animosity because he might take the comment personal.
I think that as the human race continues to adapt we start putting other people’s thoughts ahead of our own thoughts. How will my decision effect other people? This is better than always being single minded about yourself because it can create synergy amongst other people. This haircut is just a microcosm of the bigger point of this post. Of course I could tell the barber that I don’t wear my hair like that he’s wasting his time, but in his mind he is trying to help me out by “styling” my hair, ie. doing his job. Is there any credence behind this scenario and my analysis of it? Is thinking of other people ahead of yourself an improved life philosophy?
As I got half-way through the first paragraph, I thought that sounded a lot like Joe from Mario’s. He always does the same thing with my hair too. He sometimes ends it by asking if I want hair spray, which I decline, but I always walk away from his chair with that same style.
The hair cut moment is always incredibly awkward – especially socially. No matter what you end up saying to direct the cut the barber/stylist always responds with a seemingly defeated attitude -as if they had higher hopes for the vision for your hair – and you end up feeling like you just scolded one of your children too harshly. Purchasing a set of trimmers costs about $25 – one time. 🙂