Forced Haircut!

by Edward Hopper

Wasn't it in mid-november 2012, that a young woman had walked into a Toronto barbershop asking for a haircut, only to then be denied because doing so would have conflicted with the Barber's religious beliefs? 

The barber had claimed it had been against the laws of his religion for a man to cut a woman's hair.  

The woman (read: S-H-I-T disturber) had then proceeded to make a big stink about the whole thing in the media, threatening 'legal action' in order to force the barber to provide haircutting services to women. Many people had agreed with this woman's cause at the time, and that was the problem.

One's rights end the moment it impedes with another's right to say "NO".

The barber stuck to his principals, if I remember correctly, and as illogical as his beliefs may have seemed to us then, we now recognize a human's right to adhere to their principals, and not ever be forced to act against them.

Instead of doing the logical thing, which was for the woman to have gone and gotten her hair cut by another barber, (one who would have been probably both happy and deserving to do so), this young woman had instead chosen to fight the barber based on her personal beliefs. 

note: If you remember, this psychosis had been rampant during your time period: fighting and arguing based on one's beliefs, whilst attempting to force others to conform to your cherished values

The woman had been free to visit any of the hundreds of other barbers throughout Metro-Toronto. Why had she vehemently insisted to force this simple barber into doing something against his will? Where did she, or anyone else, summon the audacity to tell another person what they must do? 

Had this woman been successful in her crusade, she would have succeeded in doubling the size of this barber's potential market, giving him more business at the expense of other barbers who might possibly have been more deserving…It was sheer madness!

We had this bad habit in our culture, of giving money to people or institutions who had little or no respect for us as sovereign beings, and who would then take actions against us that we didn't like (force us to pay taxes, invade poor countries populated with brown people, give big contracts to corrupt construction companies etc…).  "Here little Jimmy, take this book of matches and a big gas tank; now go and have some fun… *EXPLOSION!*  oh bad Jimmy, you blew up the house…shame on you, bad Jimmy, BAD!"

Here, in the communities dotting the gentle slopes of Temperance Valley, right across majestic Lake Regina and to the rocky and jagged shores of Ultima-Borea we say: "Live and let live"  

We recognize our citizen's rights to their personal autonomy; to their sacred right of holding personal beliefs and principals that might seem otherwise 'batshit crazy'… just so long as they don't take actions which impedes upon another individual's personal freedom. Those very few who so steadfastly ignore this fundamental human right, quickly finds themselves missing out on the joys of the greater community, using the bars of their bizarre and counterproductive belief systems.

Thinking back,  we used to get so ridiculously hung up on stupid principals, igniting and fighting wars that had brought humanity such untold misery, when what we really should have done was leave well enough alone.

Future CT   Village 5,  Nova Avalon.   Year 17 P.T.E.