Nude or naked?

Some of you may know that I write books. Writing books and stories means you have to consider the meaning of words carefully.

Considering the words ‘nude’ and ‘naked’.

They both refer to the state of being undressed, uncovered, clothes-free, yes. Still, to me they have a different charge as it were. Wikipedia’s take on these point to the same thing. Nudity. To me there is however an underlying difference.

What nude is to me.

To me this is nude. You may argue that I’m naked in this picture so let me explain. When I am nude, I’m undressed, I appreciate it to the max and I am ‘in my power’. I am undressed by my own choice and proud of my state of being. When I took this picture it wasn’t warm. There was fog all around. Still I felt wonderful there, in nature, one with the elements of the moment. That is when you are in your centre of power.

What is naked to me.

Here is an example of someone I think is naked. It’s the ‘oops’ moment, the shyness, the not wanting to be seen like this.

It is when someone feels exposed and vulnerable.

Look at it this way: when you are nude and you walk around in the rain when it’s not cold, that’s all fine. You’ll get wet but you won’t shiver, you don’t feel bad.

When that same rain comes over you and it starts getting cold, you’ll feel naked. Exposed and vulnerable because this is not pleasant at all.

Note that this is just one example.

Naked does not always mean you’re weak.

Absolutely not, unless you make yourself weak. Having the courage to make yourself vulnerable is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of a different kind of strength. The world live in is a hard place where being weak is frowned upon. You have to be strong, in armour, fast and in control. Daring to be naked means you dare to be yourself, to be a real person who doesn’t want to be strong all the time. Trying to be strong all the time will wear you out on an emotional level or even detach you from your emotions. You become a machine, a robot.

Naturists and nudists, as far as I have met and talked with them, have the deliberate ability to go beyond that trap. They bare themselves. They make themselves naked as well as nude. They want to be vulnerable. Go into the mountains where you encounter nothing but sharp rocks and take off your clothes there.

See? You are vulnerable. This doesn’t mean you’re weak. This just means you acknowledge you’re not made of iron and you understand how thin your skin is, especially when you scrape against that rock.

The vulnerability is where you put it.

As you see, there are more ways to feel vulnerable. Good ways and bad ways. Getting caught in something you shouldn’t do makes you vulnerable, even when you’re completely dressed. The power of allowing yourself to be vulnerable, naked, is something different. You bring that upon yourself. You say to the world, “Yes, this is me as I am. Naked, unprotected.” That kind of vulnerability should gather respect. It does from me.

It’s entirely different from the popular TV series ‘Naked and Afraid’ where people put themselves in danger willingly.

I certainly respect the courage of the people who do this, but I don’t respect their nakedness as the kind I described earlier.

Be nude, dear friend. And dare to be naked. It makes you more complete as a human.

Paul.

(This post appeared originally on ClothesLifeFree. I thought it important enough to share it here.)