“No Shave November,” also known as “Movember” is a time for men to grow their mustaches and beards to promote the awareness of men’s health. Until recently, I’ll admit that I never really understood the connection between men’s health and facial hair. I’ll also admit that my own naiveté or ignorance may be shocking to many, but that’s okay. That’s the point of the movement, isn’t it? During my last semester in college, I engaged in the works of Henry David Thoreau who was perhaps the most principled of all principled men in the world. He also sported a beard, so I suppose it’s fitting to mention him as some sort of inspiration. His book Walden changed my perspective of decision making.
A major theme in Walden is “living deliberately,” which is arguably one of the principles he lived by. From my interpretation, “living deliberately” means to know and understand the reason and purpose of your decisions and actions. I’ve participated in “No Shave November” before and it’s taken every ounce of will I have not to shave my beard before the thirty days is up. I don’t think I’m much attractive with a nappy beard either. As I divulge the thoughts I have about myself while not shaving in November, you can see what I think about rather than the intent and purpose of the movement.
I want to change that though.
I will be participating in “No Shave November” again. This time, however, I am dedicating myself to the reason and purpose so many men around the world take a vow to toss their razors to the wayside in the month of November. Rather than following a movement I don’t wholeheartedly understand, I am growing my beard to gain perspective and understanding of the process and its importance to men’s health. I believe that for some, if not most men, the movement has lost its integrity to the curiousity of the length at which their beard can grow or in competition with their buddies or just because it’s become a fad. And though there’s no such thing as bad publicity, I think if the point is to raise awareness to the things that plague far too many men than we’d like to realize, the integrity of the movement ought to be restored. I’d like to help restore the integrity of “No Shave November,’ but, more importantly, I’d like to shed a different light behind the meaning of “No Shave November.”
For more information about Movember or “No Shave November,” you can visit their foundation website at https://us.movember.com/.