Nudism, Nudity, Nude, Naked

Nudism is an ism. That means it is a philosophical position. Of course the exact description of that philosophy varies widely. This is possibly the reason that we nudists don't even agree on the proper word. Some of us call it nudism, while others use the word "naturism". I suppose this depends on whether one is emphasizing the freedom of being unclothed or the naturalness of it.

Most nudists are not very doctrinaire. The phrase often heard is, "Nude when possible, clothed when necessary." Not many of us are masochists and we tend to get well and warmly dressed when faced with winter weather. We also don hiking shoes, tennis shoes or whatever other clothing will protect us. Very few nudists cook in the nude without an apron to protect from spillage or burns.

Never-the-less we do prefer to be nude, particularly when relaxed outdoors or in. That is probably the only thing that unites those who profess nudism. Nudists range from very conservative Christians to whatever other political and religious extremes exist. Nudists come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and ages. There are very few who would pose for magazine covers. The vast majority of us have spindly legs, or pot-bellies, wrinkles, or bald heads.

The nudist community tends to be older. Many don't become nudists until their mid-30s and beyond. However, thanks to the efforts of the American Association for Nude Recreation's (AANR) subgroup, Young Adults for Nude Recreation (YANR) there is an increasing population of younger nudists. In addition many people have entered nudism by being members of nudist families. As they grow through their teen years and enter adulthood, they are already seasoned nudists and find nude and natural to be their preferance.

Nudists are often startled when someone asks what it is like to be "naked". The word "naked" seems to imply an involuntary state of weakness. People who don't have sufficient clothing are spoken of as naked, just as those without food are hungry. Being naked is forced upon people. Nudists usually use the word "nude" for the state of voluntarily shedding unneeded clothing. Since it is a choice, being nude is empowering. Nudists feel good as they experience the brush of the breeze against their skin, or the bodily freedom of swimming without constrictive clothing.

In another post, I will discuss the many great reasons for embracing not just recreational nudism but a social and family nude life-style.

On Starting a Blog

I've been thinking about writing several articles to share some of the things I've learned about life and some of those I think I've learned. I was going to put these on my own website, but that would mean having "finished" ideas to share. I'm not sure that I will ever have a finished article. Everything I know is in a constant state of flux.

Here are a few of the ideas I intend to write about.

• One of my "late in life" learnings is about the value of public, social nudity. Thirty odd years ago I took some training in using nudity in doing psychotherapy. I led several nude therapy groups and had some amazing success in helping people improve their lives. Later the therapy movement became more staid, conservative and stodgy. They also bought into the conservative idea that nudity equals sex. In order to remain a "member in good standing," I abandoned this work. That was a mistake. But there is more to nudity than therapy. Social and especially family nudity has several great benefits for the adults and for the children.

• There are a lot of fairly strange movements in the world of psychotherapy. Many of them are either not efficacious or even worse train people to be crazier. Others, in the marriage counseling arena, actually destroy marital relationships (The words "marital relationship" for me mean all forms of consensual, committed relationships of whatever gender preference.) rather than improve them.

• In the realm of spirituality, I will share my own ideas, feelings and my own apprehension of "The Sacred." The Sacred can be called by all kinds of names. . .or even None.

• As counter point, I may share what I have learned about pickling fish, the joys of motorcycle riding or photography, Mexico, Brazil or Japan.

This is a starting list. I'm a broad fellow (Physically and mentally) and don't intend to restrict either myself or anyone who cares to read.

Blessing,
David