nudity

The eighth week

At the moment of writing this, I’m in my eighth week of almost total nakedness.

The weather has been amazing here over the past couple of months. Hot even. Yes, also much too dry, which is an unfortunate bonus, but with respect to being clothes-free, it was fantastic.

I only wore the least bit of clothes to go to customers’ sites, to work on location. That wasn’t very often, and my drying laundry is proof of that. Loads of towels, a few pairs of socks and some shirts.

The weather is now turning, colder weather is coming towards us, but there will also be rain. Being naked just about all the time is great, but if the land is parched and nature goes belly-up through that, I’ll gladly put on clothes again if I need to if rain and colder weather comes along.

It’s interesting to see how this balance happens. Naturists like their sunshine and their nude-time. Nature, however, requires the other end of the spectrum as well, simply to properly function as our nude playground.

I’m not sad about the nude period coming to an end soon. That, I think, is a stoic attitude towards things, and a stoic I’ve been. All my life, as far as I can remember.

Morning walk in the nude, fog in background — Morning walk, with fog

I had this wonderful nude time for 2 months, maybe even more (I didn’t mark each day on the calendar) and I will remember it fondly. There will be another time for that, and I can be nude at home whenever I want – as long as the temperature’s right. Mourning the period ending is a waste of time and energy, as that won’t bring it back.

I’ll hang on to the memories and feelings during that time, do what I feel is needed, and look forward to what might / will come.

Have a great day everyone. Make it as clothes-free as you can!

Paul

The power they want to hold over you

I’ve been thinking. (Perhaps that’s the reason there was no post last week. No, I’m kidding, I just had no time to come up with something and write about it.)

Why are so many people screaming that nudity is a sin, that nudity is sex and nudity is all things forbidden?

It’s just one thing.

Power.

Power is the name of the game. As long as someone holds power over you, they can make you sit, run and jump, and even play dead.

Christians, for instance, shouldn’t fear to be nude if they want to. The famous couple, Adam and Eve, were nude to begin with. Only when Eve found those fun mushrooms, had some, “and then a snake started talking”, things went sour. They apparently were charged with “sin”, which is quite a power-stunt, and thrown out of their garden.

Of course not everyone is in that fix. Not everyone lives in a garden with ‘shrooms and “talking snakes”. Trees with wisdom fruit are hard to come by as well, but power is all around us.

Look at the people who can’t come out as a naturist / nudist because of work. “If the boss hears, I’m toast.” Or the people who can’t come out because of “the family”. There are plenty of reasons that our lifestyle is so conflicting, and I think it all comes down to the power. The power of ‘the community’ is another one. What if the neighbours see/report me? What if the police come and pick me up?

Paul in the woods — Lucky me, with a HUGE forest garden to roam free in.

Stuff like that is bad enough that people often can’t even be nude in their own garden. That’s the scourge of ‘power’ that hangs over everyone of us. Even the most naked person who reads this will find something in his or her life that connects to that.

May we all find a way to get rid of those power-mongers, so we can live our lives as free and freely as we want.

(Donations and suggestions for a naturist tropical island are always welcome!)

Catch a Sunrise

The Pythagoreans bid us in the morning look to the heavens that we may be reminded of those bodies that continually do the same things and in the same manner perform their work, and also be reminded of their purity and nudity. For there is no veil over a star.
(Marcus Aurelius – Meditations XI.27)

Marcus Aurelius was a stoic. (I have touched on stoicism before on this blog.)

Lately, I’ve been delving into stoicism a bit more. There is a lot of information out there, like the Daily Stoic Podcast, which has shorter and longer episodes. I love the short ones, up to ten minutes, that show a lot of cleverness in little time.

So what does stoicism have to do with naturism? On first glance: nothing at all. And yet, I’ve been thinking about this over the past few days, and there are points that work, that fit and touch.

One of the stoic ideas is not to worry or get anxious over things in advance. Suppose you want to take a nude hike in a place where there’s not a big risk of “getting caught”. Do you worry about getting caught before going there? It’s not worth the energy to worry about it, even though us humans have been taught / conditioned to do that. Because everyone else does it.

This is what stops many people from doing things. The “What if” monster, that looms over our thoughts and actions.
Yes, you want to go on that hike. Yes, there might be people who see you. Yes, there are people who get ‘upset’ or who are ‘offended’ by nudity. Be ready for a comment, have an answer ready. Or, if you’re scared that you’ll be photographed in the nude while you don’t want that, don’t go and feel good about that. And then, just let it go. Don’t beat yourself up about the fact that maybe nothing might have happened, because then you roll back into the “What if” trap again. Decide, accept and move on.

Another stoic idea, from Seneca this time, is to look at clothes for their real purpose. (I mentioned this in the first post that I already referenced.)

This doesn’t mean Seneca was going around naked all the time, but it shows that there is more to the idea than ‘we naturists’ attribute to it. Wearing clothes for their real purpose is the smart way.

For instance when it’s cold. Or when it’s dangerous to be naked (e.g. risking splinters, burns or other dangerous situations), clothes, as in ‘coverings’, make sense.

Stoicism, for me, points out a lot of idiocy in the real world. Many people think that stoics never have any fun, that they lack emotion. They accept that things come to an end and (try to) live accordingly.

Maybe this quote from Seneca says it all in the best way:

As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.
Seneca

There’s normal. And then there’s nudity.

Or: is the world too sexualised for naturism?

Normal

The most common state of being. Accepted by the majority.

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.

Nude upper bodies.

Or: people can be bat-shit crazy and totally inconsistent.

A few days ago on MeWe I followed a post that was copied from a Dutch newspaper. Granted, it is a newspaper that thrives on sensational content, but the background of the article made me shake my head.

Note: this is not the man who is mentioned.

The “problem” of the lady who was interviewed in the news paper article was that she found it ‘distasteful’ to see men with bare upper bodies outside, despite the heat. She mentions ‘men with double B breasts, hair everywhere and beer bellies‘.

In the same article, however, she says: ‘This all is fine up to a point‘ (what? First it’s distasteful and then it is ‘fine up to a point’?).

The first valid claim in the article: ‘Can I do the same, being a woman? I don’t think so.’ … ‘This is discrimination.‘ Even though I suspect she would never actually do that, this is the only point in the entire article I can get behind. This is indeed discrimination and it should stop.

This kind of discrimination is a blemish on the freedom of people. Women should be allowed to be topless just as well. As it is the case in many places in, surprisingly enough, the United States. The ‘Free the nipple‘ movement has played a part in that too.

I keep hammering on the problem that religion slipped into ‘our culture’ that nudity is a bad thing. It’s not. It’s a way of religion to control the masses, and it’s been so successful that the idea has become mainstream. And the brainwashing has become so successful that people into that mindset aren’t even aware of it. They, like the lady with the complaint, prefer to take away even more freedom, unaware of the many things that have already been taken away from them (and us).

As this picture shows, nude is not rude. It’s perfectly fine, liberating. People are having fun, and it’s something that should be allowed for everyone. But as long as mainstream thinking is convinced of the opposite, we’re fighting a battle. Most of the time it’s an uphill one, but I think we have to keep it up. Otherwise the ‘mainstream’ will wash over us and take the few rights we have (beaches, resorts, parks) away. We can’t allow that.

It’s bad enough that women are discriminated against in many parts of the world. Let’s try and turn that tide, not make it seize control over everything.

Sign suggests nudists…

That is the title of an article from a British newspaper that I found in my news feed a few days ago. The original is here. The article talks about a sign that was clearly put up by nudists:

According to the article, the sign said, “You may encounter naturists enjoying this area naked today. Simple public nudity is not illegal in England and Wales.”

Next, there is this: A spokesperson from Forestry England said: “This is an unauthorised sign. We have not permitted or been made aware of any events taking place. The sign was removed last week by our rangers.”

Obviously neither this spokesperson nor the rangers who have removed the sign are not aware of British nudity laws. There is no need for an ‘event’ to take place when people simply want to put in some recreational nude time.

There are comprehensive rules and guidelines for the British police etc. Clearly the rangers were not aware of this either.

It’s scary to witness that, in this age of information and communication, this kind of information is barely communicated. Of course it could also be that there is too much regulation and communication. People can get overloaded with that. In my job however, it is common practice to first check if there are rules and agreements on things, before acting. (I wonder what happened with the sign too. Did it get returned to the owner or the person who put it up as a courtesy for other visitors?)

This is yet another sign (pun intended) where people are reacting on the trigger word ‘nude’.

It is sad to see that there is no progress being made in this area, in a time where the world is warming up and clothes are more and more unnecessary.

Would being naked ever get boring?

“Always wearing the same thing is boring.”

This is what I heard a while ago. Given the amount of different kinds of clothing, one might almost think that’s a valid statement.

However… if we think back to ancient times, and I mean the times before you and I and even the oldest person in the world was born, most people didn’t have that much of a choice in attire (if they even needed that). Let’s have a look at that.

Prehistoric life and times

Prehistoric people apparently wore skins to keep themselves warm. I doubt they had many options, like a Versace bear skin, or a Levi’s loin cloth. They’d probably wear what they had until it fell apart and then got something new.

The image above should demonstrate that, but for me there’s wrong with it. If the temperature is such that their upper bodies are not covered, and the child is entirely naked, why would they even wear such a thing? I’m pretty much convinced that this originates more from the painter’s modest mind than from actual need during that time.

Killing a bear with a stone axe (like she holds) or a bow (like he holds) would be quite a chore. My guess is that prehistoric people would go around naked much more than modern ideas allow. Look at how the man’s leg movement would be restricted by his ‘skirt’, and now imagine him running after some game to hunt down. That’s not going to fill stomachs well, unless prehistoric people had a particular way to run. In that case I would love to see that. Please share your prehistoric videos!

Living life naked

With this in mind, I started writing this blog post, the start of which might have confused you. Clothes? Yes, that was how I wanted to get to this spot.

Anyone who has spent a significant amount of time in the nude, be it at home, on vacation or wherever, has experienced the freedom it brings.

Have you ever had the idea that wearing the same skin all the time is boring? After all, it’s the only one you have, and as far as I know there are no shops to get another one, in the right shade of red that’s fashionable this summer. For myself I have never had that idea.

Charco del Palo, nude in the street — Charco del Palo

On my vacations to naturist places, like Charco del Palo, I have spent a lot of time naked, and not once did that feel boring.

Many others there also walked around in the same lack of attire and everyone had a good time. I don’t think anyone ever gave the boring concept some thought. And even then, if your regular skin is boring, there’s always body painting!

sunday body paint — Body painting session in New York

Nudity has a power all on its own

I found a very powerful video on the power of nudity.

I hope you enjoy it. (It’s not very long.)

Nudity and religion

Religion in (my) school

Religion keeps confusing me. I know I’ve been at this before, but it is something so incomprehensible to me that I want to address it again.

When I was 15 or 16, which is quite a while ago, I made sure the catholic church removed me from their subscription list. I’d gotten into arguments with the priest who, in school, taught religion and got thrown out of the classroom quite often ‘for asking the wrong questions’. Even at that age I was aware that, if someone who is supposed to be a professional at his job (priest is a job, right?) and he can’t answer the most obvious of questions, then there’s something wrong with the background of his job.

It was around that time that I discovered nudism (as it was still called back then). That was the straw that broke the religious camel’s back: I asked the priest why Adam and Eve had decided to put on clothes when being naked was so much more comfortable.

This was the result, as it were. Words like ‘insolent’ and ‘blasphemy’ (that last one threw me, still does) were the last ones from the priest before I left that class forever.

The library was my friend after that.

Because of this ‘insolence’, I had to report to the headmaster, for being thrown out yet again. I explained my side of the argument, the priest called me a liar and Satan’s child (yay me!), and the headmaster decided I should stick to the library from then on and leave religion class behind me. In that library (yes, the school library) I read a lot about all kinds of religions and even more about nudism. Even back then, in the 1970s, our schools were so liberated.

Since being naked felt much better than religion, I read up a bit about the combination. Since the priest had gotten fired up so much, there had to be something.

Religion: the practice of shame and guilt (a.k.a. control)

Religion, for me (and many others), is the ultimate form of controlling others through shame and guilt. In Christianity, everyone’s born with guilt. The original sin. In Islam the body has to be covered all the time as that is ‘the law’ (of Islam), and exposing one’s ‘intimate parts’ is sinful.

Sin, according to Wikipedia, almost always refers to religion. Almost always? Yes, there is a trigonomy function written as sin as well, but that’s not the one on display here.

So, sin is a human invention. Sin is an offence to a God or divine law. It’s interesting that there are Christians and also Muslims who are naturists, despite their godly laws of sin and guilt and shame and what not. And the good thing for them is: their god hasn’t struck them down for being disobedient. Insolent. Shameful. Guilty. Any ‘striking down’ so far has come from people who stick to their holy books, be it verbally or literally (using techniques involving throwing rocks etc.).

Rocks should be used to hike over. Naked. Without the burden of some religion or god hovering over you for doing ‘the wrong thing’. Because being naked is natural. It is how we’re born.