I'm going to publish this soon over at my blog. I'm thinking that some discussion here first may lead to an enhancement, before that. We have discussed this here and there, it hasn't been its own thread. This draft is drawn from discussion here. You may recognize some lingo, like Bob's description of "species.":
Naking
I made a proposal to DF and presented it much in this way. I have honed this to a broader audience:
We are DF and Jbee. They can be whoever they want to be. They can make their world a more perfect world. They are a bit naturist crusaders. They don’t wear clothing, unless they feel the need. They go everywhere nude whenever that is possible. They dislike wearing clothes when it is warm. We feel free and natural and healthy and wholesome, and more aware, more in the moment, more spiritually free, naked.
We like situations in which we are allowed to be casually nude among friends, like say at that party a while back. We just didn’t get dressed, we partied, we conversed in the kitchen, you sang along in the living room. We dipped in the pool. Another example is a sweat association fundraiser. We don’t know, or really care who comes through the door. We have been at times the only ones, or among the few naked amongst the clothed. We all had our choice. DF and Jbee are like that attitude all of the time. In the structure of their world, they do what they can to live in liberation. Now, they have another barrier to unlearn.
Recently, there was an article about “naking” in The Naturist Society’s “N” magazine. The authors have been hiking naked, much of it on the Appalachian Trail. I’ll quote, “We have seen and met hundreds of people during our naked hikes. A lesson that we learned quickly and has shaped our behavior is this: the way that you behave sets the tone for how others will accept your nudity. It sounds simple and it may even sound a little crazy, but it is true. If you are happy and friendly and appear to have no understanding that being unclothed is NOT the norm, then the people that you encounter will behave that way, too.”
This information clearly backs up the informal anecdotal survey that I have been conducting with naked hikers online for several years now. It seems that over 95% of people on trails will have no objections. Maybe 20% will be confused by the unusual circumstance.
Of the extreme minority, people with children will be more likely to object, believing that they are being protective. They are just ignorant of the verified fact that seeing another of their species nude does no harm to children. That experience, more than likely, is healthy for them.
I’m certain that on city streets, the odds of objection may be greater, if merely by the percentage of sheer numbers. It is endlessly the same, “What about the kids.” There can be an assumption of the law and also some personalities like the cozy comfort of order and conformity. Out on the trail and more remote lands, park rangers generally understand that if anyone is not exposed around trailheads and camping, then there is no pursuit of what is harmless and unenforceable anyway.
Nudity is harmless, healthy, natural, not worth the trouble to call the police, and an even smaller percentage would be willing to testify in court. It’s a waste of resources, and many personally don’t care enough. This is the reality.
If we cover, then we are sending out the wrong message. When we cover, we are victims and we victimize everyone who sees us cover. We must be bold, to do the right thing, to be authentic, to act with integrity and for a higher good. If someone doesn’t like it, it is their wrong and their hang-up and their problem. We don’t make theirs ours. We liberate others by liberating ourselves. Others will see us and learn from us AND apparently, this works.
The choice:
When we meet anyone, we can behave normal, as if we are dressed. We assume that it is okay by others (95% plus of the time it actually is). We show them that it is okay to look, to talk to us, that we like it. When they are so free, it liberates us.
If some guy says something lurid, it is just as though he would do it when DF is dressed in something. So she takes it as a compliment and accepts him as ignorant and crude. Maybe she’ll explain to him, that she is not nude for his benefit, but her own.
If someone complains, we confront them. Everyone will see people with their clothes off in public as no big deal, if we don’t allow them to make a big deal of it. If we don’t act like there is something wrong, or discomforting, they need to get used to the idea. They need to see that there is no harm and that their reactions are all about them. They need to see that naked people are just nice people without clothes. That seeing another of their own species nude is a natural healthy occurrence. We need them to go home and tell their friends about it.
Others will see us and learn that nothing will happen. Any law enforcement is far away, IF they want to hassle with nothing and find us and prove what happened. They don’t. The incident is over before action can be taken. 97% will have no problem with us.
The three percent that might object are often with their children. So if there are children on the trail, we sit beside the trail covering only our genitals and in Arizona, female nipples by a squat position. What is covered would depend on local law. With this tactic, children and their adults will still see that we are nude and learn that people do like being naked. We will be compliant with the law that way, even IF there would be a complaint. DF could stand behind me and we cover my crotch, IF we are surprised, or with no place to casually sit.
DF and I have been going about this all wrong, much of the time. We started out hiding and became artful about it, where only three percent care and authorities don’t really care. Authorities will react if they perceive that there is a molester, or a sexually aggressive act. We have feared and nothing much has changed in the world, except DF and I have had lots of fun naked, everywhere. Much of the time, we could have been freely nude and spreading a good message and liberating people a few at a time. Most of the time, there has been no risk, but we acted as we have out of our ignorance and fears of boogeymen that weren’t there. We errored on the side of caution.
I have been experimenting with this framework. This last weekend DF came on board. We discussed our feelings about encounters. There is ingrained behavior that needs to be unlearned. There is a reluctance, and cautious concern that is unjustified. It will probably take some practice, but along the way, we will learn about ourselves and other’s conditioned responses.
Last weekend we went into action. Jbee and DF went hiking to be warriors for body liberation. We committed to become more comfortable in our liberation of ourselves and others, to use no cover, just take some sun protection and put it in our trail baggage, when not in use. We made a pact to not cover, or support shaming behaviors. The stories will come. I’ll keep publishing about trips.
A little advice and common sense:
As for others, or those who may be newer to being to some degree, publicly nude, the following may be of value. If you feel a little tingly when being nude in public, then that is okay. It happens.
There is a little bit of exhibitionist in everyone. Exhibitionism isn’t all about sexuality either; it can be about recognition from others for various motives. If you think back and it feels sexy, that’s okay. If you ever feel sexy, that’s okay. You will get over that. It is just like anyone gets over these things in a naturist social nudity club situation. It is also okay to feel sexy, have personal thoughts when in clothing. Thoughts happen. Remember your values. It is not about sex any more than any other activity. The sexual associations with nudity have been enforced in our society all of your life. It is simply wrong and misguided. It will wear off, if you are aware of it, but do not go with any sexual behaviors.
You are learning not to be overwhelmed by your training to be clothing obsessed. You may feel risky, or taking a chance; it is natural to feel that kind of tingle. That is fun, like walking away from clothing and then having no clothing to cover with. It is tingly and it is liberating. Things take some getting used to. Eventually, it will feel more and more normal.
To feel exposed is a common conditioning effect, which gives us a sense of liberation and should be relished and experienced fully. Just as feeling our physical senses by being nude brings us alive, experiencing our emotional senses will also. It will come and go, ebb and flow. Every so often, I get a sense of being exposed and I’ve been without clothing most of the last decade.
Some common sense needs to be applied. It is not wise to be freely nude in a populated area with children around. It is not wise to be freely nude around trailheads. It is not wise to be exposed where policing authorities are readily present, no matter what the local law is, there can be extreme reactions from the unenlightened. A man in Georgia, just last week, made TV news and irresponsible journalistic alarm, because he was walking unclothed on a trail. Police were out looking for him in the 950 acre park. They even got out of their cars and ventured onto the trails for a few hundred feet. It was bad publicity and he could have had an unwanted legal hassle.
