h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I am growing a beard. It was not an intentional choice. It is something which has been imposed upon me. I am in the middle of revising for my finals, and so I think why should I spend time shaving when I could be spending my time revising. And so the beard grows. But I don't really think of myself as having a beard. I don't remember it is there half the time and I am constantly being suprised when people tell me how good my beard looks. Even when I feel or see my beard I don't think of myself as having a beard - I describe it to myself as "heavy stubble". Because that's all it is - just stubble I've left to grow for the past 3 weeks. There was no point when I was merely unshaven one moment and bearded the next. I wonder if I would "believe" in other peoples beards if I had seen them grow from scratch. Much like a parent who's adult son is still their "little boy" I feel my chinular growth is still that gentle roughness you feel when you wake up the moring after a good close shave.
And why do people tell me it looks good? It clearly doesn't - it sticks out straight from my face, so you can still see my skin underneath - it has none of the bushiness or bristliness of a proper beard. Why does the growth of my beard cause these otherwise honest people to so patently lie? I can aoly assume that they are too frightened to grow beards themselves, and have to live out their beard growing fantasies voyeuristically via my face. I can't help but feel dissapointed that those who I considered my closest friends can be made to become so utterly selfish all for the sake of a couple of centimetres of hair.