Zen and the Art of Shaving

There are some “Whiny Zen Purists” (I’ll refer to them as WZPs) out there who get all bent out of shape any time a book comes out with “Zen and the Art of ...” blablabla this that and the other in the title. F’em if they can’t take a joke. Most of the titles are tongue in cheek. There are others though who think comments and statements like Zen and the Art of whatever lessens or cheapens Zen. The way I see it, Zen IS everywhere. If your not Zen about wiping your ass after you take a dump, you can’t incorporate it into other “more important” aspects of your life either. BTW, I personally think wiping your ass is very important, but I am using it here as an example to balance it with “more important things” like maybe an air traffic controller guiding in an Airbus full of passengers. WZPs like to get all huffy about labels and comparing too. Like I said, both are equally important, but if you are an ATC and you need to rush out of the crapper because your shift is starting, please by all means, a quick once over with toilet paper and no looking for chunks stuck to the hairs on your ass is fine with me.

I never had much facial hair. I can get by with shaving every other day, even stretch it to 2 or 3 days before I need to go at it with a razor. Still, I like to use one of those old style razors, the kind you unscrew at the base and the top opens up and you need to put it the blade. In fact I use my grandfathers razor (it has held up remarkably, they just don’t make things like the used to). Now, when I shave, I REALLY need to be in the moment, more so than if I used one of those new Gillette’s with 8 rows of blades balanced on suspension springs that move to the shape of my face. I am not shaving to get on with the rest of my daily routine, I am shaving to shave. Thich Nhat Hanh touches on this in his book The Miracle of Mindfulness. He says “wash the dishes, to wash the dishes” and uses that analogy to incorporate mindfulness into daily life. When I wet the brush, I need to be aware I am wetting the brush. When I am applying the cream and scrubbing it onto my face, I need to be aware before I get an eyeful, mouthful, or nose full of cream. And when I start shaving I really need to be aware of everything before I slice a jugular or nick myself in a painful way. I need to take care as I run the blade on my neck, around the chin, towards the back near my jaw. If I just run the blade quickly without much care or thought it can be painful, even serious. Being in the moment, being conscious of the task at hand, isn’t that what we strive for?

So, yes, I believe there is Zen and the Art of Shaving and Zen and the Art of Wiping Your Ass, and Zen and the Art of Screwing the Daylights Out of Your Lover. As long as you are doing it with mindfulness, it qualifies. Regardless of what the WZPs think.