On the Importance of Beards
When I was a teenager, my best friend and I would rappel from trees; we
also took German classes. We developed a hierarchy of ranks for our
rappelling. each was divided into three sub-ranks: copper (junior),
silver and gold (senior). The lowest rank was Keinbärtig, whose
symbol was a downward-pointing semi-circle. This was pidgin German for
unbearded,
and the symbol indicated a smooth chin. The next rank
was Bärtig, whose symbol was a downwards-pointing equilateral
triangle—its name meant bearded.
The highest rank was
Langbärtig, whose symbol was a downward-pointing isosceles
triangle; its name meant long-bearded
. Thus the lowest of the
low—a new recruit, as it were—would be a junior
Keinbärtig, with a copper semi-circle, while the highest rank would
be a senior Langbärtig, with a gold long triangle.
As you can see, even as a boy I placed a very high importance on the beard. It is, after all, the indication that a man is in fact a man.
