Or: is the world too sexualised for naturism?
Normal
The most common state of being. Accepted by the majority.
Nudity
Considered either weird and not normal, or exciting and something to be secretly enjoyed by (probably) that same majority, these days.
Sexual
What nudity is associated with, these days.
Making people see what naturism actually is, seems to be an uphill battle more than ever. The entire world is so sexualised that anything involving skin is immediately considered erotic, if not worse.
Or am I using the wrong word and is the world sexually repressed? At times I’m not certain. Maybe it all comes down to the same thing, who knows.
It’s a sad state of affairs though.
Freedom
So many people could lead a much happier and carefree existence if they could escape their clothes once in a while and experience true freedom.
Every time I hear or read about the kind of freedom someone experiences when submerged in naturism the first time, I smile. A dozen people will say a dozen different things, and they will never really touch the essence. Maybe it is such a deep-rooted feeling that there isn’t even a word for it.
Natural
Lots of people also mistake ‘normal’ for ‘natural’. Most of the time they couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s not natural to wear clothes when it’s hot; it’s adjusting to the normal. Natural would be to take off the clothes and be less hot, instead of switching on an air conditioner (which is ‘normal’).
It’s not natural to have a car, it’s normal for most people and very convenient.
This shows how far the ‘normal’ people have removed themselves from nature, where being ‘natural’ is normal.
I will keep my naked fingers crossed for a more natural normal. Maybe it’s not too late.
The eye of the beholder is not just a saying or a cliche : ) two people can look at something like a pen or pencil and come to two different conclusions as to what it is! (the whole, not being able to agree on the time of day saying and stuff works well too!)
But, you’re right. So much of our modern world is antithetical to normal. An air conditioner, is not natural or perhaps, the modern mechanical version is unnatural but allowing for two open windows creating a draft is a natural air conditioner. I am not completely against clothes or body coverings totally though, they serve a function for example, in extremely cold climates where they are necessary but, just as it would be silly to walk somewhere that’s -40c naked, equal sillyness is achieved when wearing lots of clothes in a hot environment : )
When you think of a summer dessert, you think icecream. A winter treat, perhaps hot chocolate because they fit the purpose and the needs of the time. In all our busyness, all of our modern life its so easy to forget we are animals too and our bodies evolved not for restrictive clothes that affect our self regulation (say nothing of BBT!) but to adapt to the needs of our environment. Its kind of hard to do that when you’re handicapping yourself in textile bondage.
Yes, adapting to the environment in a natural manner is better. We know it. Most of the world, however, is so mechanised that most people don’t see that any more.
I tried to find what BBT is. Top choice: Best Beschikbare Technieken. Which is Dutch, and probably not what you mean (Best available technologies).
🙂
Given that the vast majority think of most nudity as being inherently sexual, I have come to the conclusion that we’ll have to wait for greater acceptance of sexuality in general before we can get acceptance of what we consider “nonsexual” nudity.
The objection to nudity originated from a puritanical worldview that was incorporated in society at large hundreds of years ago. There are still large numbers of adherents to this POV. In the States at least, we’ll have to wait for that worldview to fade further for that to happen. Acceptance of nudity in general only seems to happen in secular liberal democracies. We aren’t secular enough.
Still, the US is designed to offer autonomy to state and local governments. That means we could have pockets of local acceptance long before the national perspective comes around. And when that happens, we’ll still have pockets of local resistance. But at least voting with your feet could someday become practical.
That seems to have been the path taken by western Europe.
Let’s hope that there is a shift soon. I really hope that. And not just for the sake of being able to be nude when possible… It would be better for the entire planet.