Doing or being

The other day I listened to the latest episode of "Women in Focus", the British Naturism podcast presented by Helen Berriman.

In this podcast, Helen speaks with Maja Penko, from the Slovenian Naturist Federation.

Each episode is interesting and often thought provoking. In this one, something very intriguing was mentioned though:

Are you a naturist or do you practice naturism?

These two things might look very much the same but for me there is a profound difference.

A difference I hadn't even realised until I heard them talk about this.

What difference is it and does it matter?

First: does it matter? That depends on you. You can make it matter or not. I do want to make it matter.

Next: the difference.

The difference between being something (sorry for the weird wording but it is as it is) and practicing something is the attitude. You can practice yoga and healthy living like you can practice naturism/nudism/etc. ad inf. And that's good. You can be happy with it. You can also stop practicing it...

If you are something, it's ingrained into you. It is part of you. There is no way around it. When you are a naturist, it lives inside you and come hell or high water, none of these or anything in between will be able to stop you from being a naturist.

Compare that to practicing naturism: a law can make you stop practicing it and that's a wrap. Done, it was fun, curtain call and that's all folks.

You stop practicing naturism.

If you are a naturist that law will also prevent you from doing what you love doing, but you will always be a naturist, no matter what law is against you.

Of course I'm making this black and white.

A proper naturist will always find a way to be naturistic, even if it's restricted to the bathroom or the bedroom, or the living room for the lucky ones.

Someone who practices naturism will find these same options where possible and that's great.

I do hope you managed to pick up the difference in the meaning of the two things. Being a naturist or practicing naturism.

Maybe compare it to a chocoholic and someone who likes chocolate. The person liking it is perhaps more likely to stop liking it. A chocoholic not so much.

Thanks for reading this far! You have my sympathy.