Help - I want to cut my hair

Okay, i want to cut my hair, im 14, male, and ive been living with a turbin my life. Its really bothering me. Ive talked to my dad about this, he said that it isnt my choice and i have to be 18 to make that choice. He brought me to a couple people trying to convince me. some include

Its a gift from good and if you cut it Or you shouldnt modify your body
Come on, thats like saying....
- teeth are a gift from good, you shouldnt go to the dentist its modifying it
- eyes are a gift from good you shouldnt get glasses
- medicine is a modification you shouldnt take it
- You shouldnt cut your nails its a modifing the body
- god did not give us houses, cars, etc we should live caves cause its a modification of nature.
- etc...

Some scientific reasons
Wow, scientific reasons...
i mean 95% of the population is not sikh and dont have long hair and are living perfectly fine, they have enough nutrition, etc
it mite be a little difference, but nothing noticeable, and nothing that you cant live without


In my opinion i should be allowed to do what i want to, actually everyone should be allowed to do what they feel like to do as long as it does not offend anyone. I may be wrong, but in my opinion sikhism is lacking freedom. Its saying everyone has to be like this. period.

If i wanted to paint my self blue. I should be allowed to. (i wouldnt)
If i wanted to stick a spear through my arm. I should be allowed to ( i wouldnt)
If i wanted to get a tatoo i should be allowed to
If i wanted to get some piercing i should be allowed to
If i wanted to cut my hair i should be allowed to.

You should have the freedom of expression without offending someone
(Right Of Canada, USA, India and almost all countries)
Someone plz tell me what to do.



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Gurfateh

If you do not want to keep you hairs,then do not keep them.Better to have no beliver then reluctant beliver.

anyway das(vijaydeep Singh) will tell yuo his own story.

Das was a Hindu and use have no hairs at all.He was a wrestler or Pahilwan,and hairs have no place there often.

Das got the chance to read Gurbani and understand the same also when das was in final year.Das found that there is no physical thing exists in unniverse and only God exists.We have to surruerneder our ego or self to God and that also if God inteneds.

to confess that, that God has chosen das to folower of that God,does 5ks came on the body.


Gurmat does preaches that what we have in our mind should also be in our practice.Akal told us to se Akal in all and to let world have proof that we have such idelogy we were told to dress up like that.Dress without faith is useless but is only usefull as expression of faith which we have.

Reason form Turban,and five ks is to let all followers look similar like the form of Tenth Master(who gave his from also to usalong side father,mother,sons and self). So Punjabi,Bihari,Black or white of yellow,all have Same form of Tenth Guru.Other faiths tend to tell that they are eqaul for all races.We also depict them in our attire.

Then like we cut our nails,we do remove undesriable hairs vide our comb or Kangha especialy they are detached.

Das has family of Hindu and lived in organistation in UK where all were non Sikh or non Asians but due to faith of God in all.Das nenver had any probelmes with them.

Das does apply mustard oil on his hair and ties them above the middle of head and not at front end.

So Hairs as per Gurmat are also a sort of modification like we do this by combimg tieing(Jorhi) etc.Turban is also modification.

So there is no probelm that you cut your hairs now and here.It is more between weather you are chosen by Akal(God of Sikhs) to be salvaged while you are being alive.Ie geting you out of Duja Bhav(thinking that there is something other then God and we have our own self ego.)

Yuo are a bit young to understand but do read Dasham Granth Sahib from Sri Dasam Granth Sahib .And even after har cutting still keep on studying the Gurbani.There are many people das sees daily who again keep their hairs.

So do as you deem fit and Akal Bless.

I am a 'muna'. It's your choice. But I find the company you keep is what you become. To be accepted in the best company of all you do need a Turban. It's your choice but I would give it a few month's and then see how you feel, because once it's cut it gone and you have no choice but while you still have your flowing hair you still have a choice. You parents will only ever want the best for you

I see two points of view here.
Your parents want what is best for you, and you are a rebelling teenager who challenges your parents. There is nothing wrong with either of these things.
Now when it comes to religion, i understand where you are coming from. I believe that it is the soul which we should purify but still keep our bodies in health and look after them as they have been given from the akal purakh. However, the body houses the soul, and the body is cremated after death, it is the soul which "lives" on.
Being part of a religion and religious, in my opinion requires understanding as much as it requires faith. You need to understand WHY it is not allowed for a Sikh to cut their hair and WHAT it symbolises. You can listen to both sides of the arguement but until it becomes clear to you, WHY you are keeping it, i see no point in keeping your hair if it is not what you wish.
I see people who become sikhs later in their lives, especially those not born in sikh families, and they understand, they fully engage in the religion whole heartedly and then make their commitments.
Until the day you do this, you will never see the reason behind keeping your hair and you will always question it. Once you have found the answer, and it is true to you (that is it works for you) the you will accept what is so and become committed to Sikhi.
Life is a process of remembering who we are, of remembering that we are all one with each other and one with Waheguru. Take the time to listen to what your heart says. Take time to read the Guru Granth Sahib, talk to people and see their opinions, and never fear to ask WHY. It is by asking you will understand and as i have said once you see why, once you fall in love with Sikhi, with the Lord or whatever path it is you choose, you will be 100% committed.
Good luck to you, whatever you decide to do.
Sending Light, Love and Peace to you

It seems from how you're speaking that you have already made a decision as you didn't even mention any real positive points but only about how bad it is. God sent you into the world in the form you are now. Sure our nails get broken while doing various work but hair is something which doesn't get in our way. I've been keeping my hair for 16 years...living in Surrey sandwiched inbetween Tamanawis skwl and Princess Margaret. I can tell you that the school i go to, i know almost no other real Sikh's...all i see are mona's but those few who do keep their hair are in full faith. THey don't even question the choices because there is nothing to question as you'll see below.

When you change the form in which God sent you, you are saying that you don't like how he made you and think that you are right in changing your bodies natural form. Guru Gobind Singh gave us the five k's so that we could be recognizable in a crowd and if someone needed help they could come to us because we are protectors of the innocent.

Of course i am not saying you have to keep your hair but try to find out a lot more information about this or else, you will regret it. It will not be yet. It won't be in 20 years. But when you are getting over 50 you'll realize what a big mistake you made and will frantically "search for God"...THat's what will happen with so much of our generation, we're lost because no one's has taught us

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Your hair, your religion, it is all your choice. No one can force religion into your heart, even if they can force you to grow your hair long. Keeping long hair will not make you more of a Sikh, no matter what your parents feel.

Sikhs keep their hair long as a visible symbol, a constant flag saying "Here I am! I am Sikh and I am proud of that and I want you to know it!" Guru Gobind Singh gave us these symbols so that no one would claim to be a Sikh who did not have enough conviction in his religion to declare it to the world.

If you are not yet far enough in your spiritual journey to feel that conviction, if your journey is leading you elsewhere, or if you believe that this is not how you want to declare your faith to the world, then it is your choice to cut your hair.

Sikhism is not meant to bind your freedom or your spirit. It is supposed to be a path to the liberation of your spirit. Do not let anyone use tradition to bind you to something that you do not feel or believe.

The practice of forcing children to keep symbols is detrimental to the message of the Sikh religion. Making people believe that their religion consists of or is satisfied by blindly applying symbols or performing rituals will only convince children that their religion is all form and holds no function or meaning.

No rituals, no symbols, make a person religious or lead one to the Hukam. Guru Nanak put this same message in the Japji Sahib, what I consider to be the most encapsulating piece of literature in laying the foundational beliefs of Sikhism. By practicing as monks in the time of Guru Nanak, thinking thousands of thoughts, isolating yourself from others and living in silence, you cannot achieve understanding and true manifestation in harmony with the rest of creation (the Hukam). Your soul cannot be satisfied by abandoning the world, all people, and all possessions. Neither can your soul be satisfied by accumulating worldly possessions. The only true path to understanding, to feeling the true connection to everything else, is self-realization, living within all other things as you were meant to the fullest of your potential and in harmony with all other things and people. According to the Gurus, you have your body, as it is, for a purpose.

If all of creation is made together to be all parts of one larger whole, every piece of the puzzle was made with it's bends and shapes on purpose to make the larger picture fit together perfectly. Thus if we are made in a certain way, with certain attributes, or certain talents, we are made that way because it is with these attributes and talents that we are supposed to exist within the rest of creation. It is this logic that stands behind accepting our bodies as they are given as holy.

However, I personally hold the opinion that if you are not harming the abilities of your body, that you are not limiting the tools and vessel that has been given to you for fulfilling your place in life, for achieving full self-actualization. I do not believe cutting hair is rejecting the body that you were given, not loving it, or limiting it. Drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, doing drugs, these things hurt and limit the abilities of your body and your mind. I understand why they are not allowed in Sikhism. But I believe that the importance of long hair lies more in it's symbolism of adherence Sikhism. Other people would disagree with me. But religion is always a personal journey. No one can show you your own inner path. They can only share with you those things that have led them to further peace. Attempting to force it upon you is wrong and not justified in Sikhism. Sikhism is not a conversionistic religion. Symbols do not hold the heart of Sikhism. They are for those who already accept what they are meant to symbolize and for those who find pride or meaning in them. To force a symbol of a religion without the meaning existing behind it is to cheapen both the symbol and the religion that it represents.

Your hair will grow back if you want it to. As I said before, Sikhism is not a burden to bind you with. It's symbols should never be. Sikhism is meant to lead you to full self-realization. Do not let yourself be driven away from Sikhism by those who believe that it is their duty to make you give the appearance of something you do not feel inside of you.

Belief first. Symbols second to let you and others know of the beliefs behind them. Without the first, the second is hollow.

Sikhism is a great religion and I will say you should devote some time in studying religion and also the concept of hair and history of hair in Sikhism. Once you will give yourself time to do so and the efforts you will put into learning about Sikhism it will make you feel proud of your hair and will also help you become a confident succesful individual as well. I will say give a few years in learning about Sikhism and see how you feel afterwards. Also a big factor in Sikhism is Sangat so try to attend some retreats where you learn with Sangat and that will also help you know Sikhi more in a very genuine positive way.

questions / dilemas like these can best be answered by asking "what would Shri Guru Nanak Ji have said if he were alive".

There is a story of how he was going to have some tying the thread ceremoney performed on him when young (parents were Brahmins). He questioned the validity of it and how would it help him get closer to God.

The same applies to having long hair. Cutting it doesn't hinder one getting closer to Vaheguru - which is what we are aiming for in life.

Kesh and Turban is an identity gifted to us by Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. To my knowledge there is nothing in the Shri Guru Granth Sahib which says that keeping long hair will bring us closer to Vaheguru.

As Sikh's we have to constantly question many of the practices and rituals we follow and ensure that we follow the path which takes us closer to Vaheguru.

i understand where you are coming from, as my parents have told me the same thing at the age of 18!
the thing is our elders see religion as something you should HAVE to follow and that in a way i think they are pushing it upon us. i believe that to be a sikh you should be pure in your soul and eventually all people see the path to taking amrit which will lead to all the 'right' things coming into place.
when i spoke to my parents about cutting my hair, i received an ultimatum, if i cut it, i am disowned. this i think is a harsh reality as my father used to cut his hair and never had such restrictions upon his life. the fact that my parents have given me this ultimatum has meant that inevitably i am being pushed further from my religion. this is hard to do as i have grown up with kirtan and sewa etc in my life, yet when i chose the path i wish to walk i am oppressed and looked down upon.
although i have not cut my hair at present, the thought is always in my mind. yet, i have taken it upon myself to see what i think in a couple of months to years about seriously cutting my hair, as the tradition of doing right by the family is a 'burden', in a sense on my shoulders.
my advice to you would be take your time, think seriously if this is what you want to do and i hate to say it but think how it will affect your family.

may waheguru be with you, no matter what road you chose to take

Sriman jee,
please do not hurt any body's faith feelings . One answer is for u r ?s that,please could u tell me what is the first defintion of a perfect human being? I will anser us further ?s
Wahiguru Jee ka khalsa.
Wahigur jee kee Fateh.