Beard Or Break

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As far back as I can remember my grandpa had a face full of hair. They used to jokingly call him Grizzly Adams. My dad had his bearded weeks and then sometimes he went "full stache on em". Being raised amongst the clan of grizzlies I got the notion that this is what manhood was about. My manly idols were all sporting facial sweaters year round. There were no seasons for it and nor were there times and places for it, it just was. Even my Cuban father figure sported a solid beard and he dropped me to school every morning. Every where I turned stood a real man bearded and bold.

Growing up school was always a competition who had the freshest kicks and the crispiest haircut. My mother and father taught me its not what your bought but what you can afford. Concentrating my efforts on academia and my extra curricular endeavors I didn't have much time for a job or hustle. I had much bigger plans than the present I was laying the foundation for my future. This meant my personal money wasn't always sitting right which meant those expensive kicks were out of the question. West coast hip hop helped soften that blow by making " "Chucks" (Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers) the staple for stand up guys. As far as those fresh cuts were concerned I was far from it. I had some fades then defaulted to a ceasar but from I can remember the sideburns were always thick and in full effect. Introduction to hip hop artist Ludacris allowed my side scruff to shift me a bit higher on the totem pole of style but still I couldn't manage to keep them tamed. Jim Jones a top business figure and member of a group by the name of DipSet quickly rose in the ranks of trendsetter in my book not for anything other than the way he carried himself. He made "Scruff and puff" popping. Rocking long hair and my 8 o clock shadow(If you could consider it a shadow) was in full compliance of what Jim Jones considered fresh. Kept my clothes clean and my grooming always showed a hint of struggle. This is what came to be known as Josh style. All my friends knew me for it and personality allowed my female friends to keep one eye out for me even though the other eye was fixed on my pretty boy friends. After high school peoples styles changed but mine had lasted so long and my friends fully accepted me I saw no reason to change. Through college too, I was on and off with my beard life, but upon graduating I realized I'm supposed to be a man now so doing as I knew men to do I grew my beard and even in times of turmoil at least kept a shadow on my face.

Fast forward to the present. My beard is now the "in thing". Every beard aligns with some movement or gang. Beards have sayings and laws that go along with them and those same pretty boys from back in the day have somehow managed to feminize the beard. The way beards have taken off I'm sure the bearded lady at the circus got fired for not being freakish anymore. I bet they told her "sorry but times have changed, your not a freak you just fit in". With all that being said I want to clear the slate and state this for the record: If you see a Civilized Savage with a beard know that he aligns with one movement and that Tales from the beard. For a more in depth look at this movement we will have a post up soon on TFTB and its creators view on what they are trying to represent through that campaign.

My beard is more than just a facial accessory. It is more than just a style. It is truly part of me. I am constantly mistaken for an Arab even though everyone knows or can somehow tell my whole family is Jamaican. I am referred to as " Taliban" in numerous parts of Jamaica and New York. I am always overly greeted by US customs when I travel due to my facial appearance. I guess I'm the first terrorist with both his ears pierced and a chest tattoo (the most liberal man in Islam I guess). Constantly yanked by random women in public sometimes they even whisper inapropriate gestures about what they'd like to do to my beard. Despite all the negative assumptions people have about me on first sight I still proudly wear my beard for three important reasons.

1. Its a testimony to fellow survivors and people currently battling cancer that there is a promise land for us here on earth where we can summon the strength of Samson and beat cancer in order to resume growing our lovely locks and shine through all the despair that we've overcome with a head or face full of hair.

2. My father and grandfather are the manly men which I've been raised under taught me what it is to be a righteous hardworking man and to earn your keep and reap what you sow. So I grow it in honor of them.

3. Because all the negative assumptions of the beards of yesteryear are so damn awesome that I believe one day I will be mentioned among these great beards (Willie Nelson, Jesus, BlackBeard, Muhammad, Zeus, Shell Silverstein, Abe Lincoln, King Leonidas, Michael Gordon Peterson Aka Charles Bronson, Merlin, etc)

So to all those bearded before the wave of bandwagoners came along grow em long and strong my brothers. Cut your beard for no man or woman, only children if they kindly request. I seek no companion who cannot accept the beard and any job that asks such a ridiculous request of me I simply say I refuse to be a bald face bullshitter. Hire baby face over there with no back bone he slithers like a damn snake and if that's what you seek to build your company on then so be it. Lead me to the honest, hardworking, and humble department and I will reside there. My beard is here to stay. Look out for our post next week on health benefits of bearding up.
Side note to my friends who can't seem to grow a beard or decide to not keep one, I have nothing against you. I just have to let the fraudulent beardos and bandwagoners know how I feel. If that's not enough my best friends Asian and he can't grow a beard. Until Next Time keep it LYM!

 Tales From The Beard Site

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