Why Naturism?

Why Naturism?

A non-naturist friend recently asked me why I practice public nudity. My initial answer was that it allows me to feel my connection to nature. He shook his head, and I knew that it went over his head. His puzzled look kind of confirmed my suspicions.

I explained to him that I am aware of my place in this world. I am a member of the species scientists call human beings. I forget, however, that I’m an intrinsic part of the ecology of the planet because we’ve been indoctrinated to fit into the box of normal that has been dictated to us for thousands of years. I work and toil, eking out an existence, and forget to be a human being. It has caused me a lifetime of stress, and now I suffer health issues because of these ideologies that do not belong to me.

When I take my clothes off and turn off the electronics and listen to birds singing, get bitten by mosquitoes, and marvel at the stars in the night’s sky while sitting at a campfire, I get to be part of nature. I get to experience the natural state of homeostasis we are supposed to live by in everyday life. I’m not following the rules laid down by others. I’m following my own rules that bring me joy.

He then said, “Well, why aren’t you in homeostasis when you’re wearing clothes?” It’s simply because we have unnatural ways of living. It’s not just the fact that clothing causes us physical stress by retaining heat that our bodies need to reject to maintain a healthy core temperature. It’s also because your cultures demand we behave in unnatural ways. We don’t walk anywhere; we don’t work together to survive or make each other’s lives fun and comfortable. We don’t spend time in the sunlight and fresh air. We don’t work to find fulfilment. We toil and struggle. We waste more time worrying about our bank balances than we do being joyful, grateful, and engaged with each other. It’s as if we’ve become a species of solitary stress and struggle, confined to human-made boxes that shield us from the dangers of natural sunlight and fresh air.

If you think about it, where do you spend your days? In a box. A box with or without windows, depending on the occupation you’ve committed yourself to, with air conditioning and artificial light. You may be sitting at a desk, pushing a mouse around, or standing at a workstation assembling a component, or bending over a machine trying to fix it, but you’ll be in a box. We’ve invented boxes with wheels that allow us to move around at speeds the human body cannot achieve naturally. These boxes on wheels also have air conditioning, and often we idiotically tint the windows to allow us some anonymity for our reckless driving skills, rushing to work, shielding us from what we think is our poisonous solar radiation, and making us feel like we are sitting in our barcaloungers behind the screen of our TV sets. Still, no matter our occupation or mode of travel, we’re not maintaining a state of homeostasis by living every minute of our waking hours inside boxes that stress us out to the point of exhaustion and mental and physical illness. How fucking stupid a species are we?

We’re constantly placing ourselves under duress by toiling for a man-made invention called money. This is so unnatural it’s crazy. We should be playing at everything we do, seeking fulfillment, not material rewards. Life was meant to be enjoyed and experienced with awe and amazement. But we humans have abused our intellect for thousands, if not millions, of years. Are we stuck here now? Chasing money and trying to accrue enough so that we can retire and be free near the end of our lives? Are we actually working towards freedom? We have to pay taxes even after we are dead, and the various taxation organizations rip us off for money that doesn’t belong to them. We’ve abused our intellect to end up funnelling money down to a small minority of greedy, rich dicks that find better ways of taking more than what they need.

Naturism is a respite from the hyperactive box of normal that everyone seems to think is correct. When I shed my clothes and forget the ‘real world’ for the weekend, I find a relaxed state of mind. My body gets to heal. My anxiety about paying bills and trying to accrue enough wealth to coast through life is gone. I’m actually coasting through life, and it doesn’t cost a dime. I look after my neighbours and they look after me. We help each other.

Freedom is what I experience when I'm naked in the wilder parts of the world. Freedom is what we all seek, but equating it to having more than enough to survive on is a tragedy. We’ll always have enough. More isn’t necessary or fair. I’m free by being conscious of where I am, oblivious to criticism, compassionate toward others, empathetic to those who need my help, and feeling fulfilled. Nudity is the physical part of that freedom, but it’s not a necessity.

Naturism has shown me that freedom can be achieved if we engage with a community that resonates with us, participate in activities that limit the reach of those who want power and control, and passively resist those who wish us to conform to the narrow confines of the box of normal. We don’t need violence to succeed. Passive resistance, communication, a burning desire to create change, and taking action to overcome the power of a small few oligarchs are what’s needed.

We can start by opening a dialogue about how to achieve equality for all. Who’s in?