Larry Ellison

“The most important aspect of my personality as far as determining my success goes; has been my questioning conventional wisdom, doubting experts and questioning authority. While that can be painful in your relationships with your parents and teachers, it’s enormously useful in life.”

Sporting a neatly trimmed goatee, Larry Ellison is the seventh most wealthy person in the world. His fortune is due to the indispensability of a type of computer software—the relational database—which underpins almost every digital operation from spreadsheets to hotel reservations to social media and on-line videos.

The son of an unwed mother, Larry was raised in a Jewish family in New York. In 1966, at the age of 22, he studied computer science at the University of Chicago. Although he did not invent the relational database, Ellison was the first to foresee its enormous market potential, and in 1979 he founded Oracle to put academic theory into practice.

Often faulted for his aggressive business strategies in the 1990s, Ellison today has softened his image with numerous philanthropic endeavors including medical research and wildlife preservation.

Nurturing Beard-Positive Parenting

by Bill Alley, Broadcast Host, Wordsmith and Beard Advocate

Often when we talk about raising young men, the natural male mind says ‘prepare for anything’...’be a good provider’...’stay focused and strong’. All the traditional male roles require man-to-man, father-to-son time for the kind of bonding male children need to understand where they’re headed once puberty hits and the race is on to adulthood.

Beard Advocacy hits square on a two-step realization of the Dad image we see emerging into the image we the ‘kids’ possess in our own adulthood. It’s true of all man-children, and especially tricky if your man-child sees a father one way and himself another. No truer confusion and frustration can set in earlier, or faster, than kids without whiskered fathers.

There’s one image example of my sister running into her first dark-skinned male at the old First National grocery store in Groton, Connecticut in 1962 that makes my point. I was four, she was a year younger. When we turned to the aisle where the African-American man was standing at a distance, Leslie pointed and the words resonated way beyond the cart: “Mommy, look at the Chocolate Man!” Ma was freaked! She hushed my sister, put her head down and got as far from that man and the aisle as possible. However, the innocent voice of childhood spoke an irretrievable moment of audio we’ve never forgotten.

This Fathers Day I took to the hunt for family activities geared for children to help their outlook on beards, especially on father figures. If you’re such a dad, uncle, grandpa, friend, brother, teacher, doctor, religious leader, figurehead or performer that encounters children the following ideas and suggestions will truly make connecting with youth easier, more comfortable and properly set. Taking fear of the different away initiates respect and trust.

One idea gleaned came from ministryforyouth.com1 which posted a 2017 Fathers Day activity where children in a team get to designate one among them to be the ‘beard’ person. They get a shaving cream beard. The other children have on hand chocolate cereal (they used Cocoa Puffs) which they got to apply to the beard by tossing one at a time. The team with the best looking ‘cocoa’ beard wins. They were able to apply a Christian theme to the game by teaching that our Creator is ‘Father Eternal’, and with Man made in His image, He, too, is bearded. Bringing more emphasis the organization suggests the video from David Crowder, O How He Loves Us2. Crowder, a dad himself, is internationally known as both a Christian musician and one of the most rugged beardsmen in entertainment.

Our Second family entry is this 2016 video from the Fathers Day tribute to comedian Jim Gaffigan’s beard3, in the words of the comedian himself. In a few minutes he points out the need for facial hair as friend, shield, enhancer, protector and – admittingly – very desired feature...one his own children admit should forever be shown because the shaven dad is ‘a little scary’.

If you want to think of something that just might trigger a good memory for Dad, remember this: making a day with him doing something he likes can be a challenge, but not if you have a resource. One of the best comes from none other than Reader’s Digest4,5, whose been around longer than your great granddad but has excellent suggestions from dads, wives and kids that may unlock that ‘perfect day’. If your bearded dad-man gets caught up in a moment too good to keep to yourself, send along a photo and a bit about him. Your Beard Advocate is always about promoting great facial hair and the stories behind the whiskers.

Footnotes

1 Youth Ministry Project—Create A Beard Contest

2 David Crowder, "O How He Loves Us" Live at klove.com

3 Jim Gaffigan's Beard-Fathers Day 2016-CBS Sunday Morning

4 Fathers Day Activities To Make Memories

5 Dads Polled Say These Are Great Fathers Day Gifts

In Your Dreams: Whiskers Liberate the Inner Man
by Bill Alley, Broadcast Host, Wordsmith and Beard Advocate

When a desire is born, it comes from a wish. When a desire is complete, it comes from a plan. Plans come from dreams and visions.

Facial hair is a lot like family planning. If you’ve desired it, even for a trial period, it’s because man is built specifically for such an occurrence. The transition from the more ‘youthful’ to the fully whiskered mature male appearance can be shocking, especially for spouses, kids and other close family and friends. That is why going Beard can be traumatic for some men, and why I advocate men catch a vision of what your real manly visage is by breaking with convention.

Growing your beard will need consideration for those watching the transition in order to make this a positive, needful confirmation that you indeed are a man, and as such are blessed with male traits which deserve recognition—no matter what the opinion. Keeping your whiskers will also be equally challenging as instances will arise which will suggest (or demand) compromise (actually it’s conformity) and you will need to stay alert to facts as you stand your ground.

Here’s a great 3-part guide for you to follow and stick with.

Break Bad. It’s only been a problem when political intrusion (from employment, organizational membership or ruling oligarchy) dictated terms against men in order to force conformity or allegiance or lordship. This fact is the only reason why shorn appearances have any relevance. Shaving does nothing for a man’s health, but by doing so it has at times been motivational in ‘climbing the ladder’ of success in business, politics, religious hierarchy and other social realms. Must Do: Throw out your shaving routine—and only keep what’s listed below.

Grow Good. Anything worth growing needs preparation and a change in routine. Hardest is the morning prep all men do before a mirror. Give yourself a 3-month, 6-month, 1 year step plan where you promote growth (massaging face, cleansing / moisturizing and refining nutrition and supplements). Keep only a pair of scissors and a single edge razor for the most minimal of trims. Take photos of your progress and notice what needs attention. Must Do: Surround yourself with pictures of bearded men in familiar settings: office, beach, family gatherings, socializing, in sport, relaxing. Social media sites recommended are Pinterest, Instagram and a choice of Beard Club where you can have chat or gatherings. Note: Even after all this work you’ll still spend far less time than you would shaving, and think of all the blood your body gets to keep!

Max Your Man. Here is where you naturally find routine change good for the soul. Your new beard unlocks a lot of adventure and possibility. Hobbies, relationships, wardrobe, charitable endeavors – pretty much anything – can be started, refreshed or refined to a comfort level you never knew existed. Must Ask: Why is that? You’ve mastered the breakthrough of yourself, the real person stands before your mirror and the world. The conformity issue now is yours to decide; the opinions of others have been busted to where you determine what you will allow for compromise. No matter the decision, you are finally in charge.