NUDE V. NUDIST

I've been reading about the history of nudism and come to the conclusion that I am not a nudist. The history is fascinating, actually. It is a largely untold history of a social movement. Nude is a state of nakedness; nudism is a lifestyle. Since the 1930s, Nudists have been gathering at private resorts, where they have shed their clothes to enjoy not only nude recreation, but a naturalist way of life. Often these locations or their memberships had specific rules as to who could belong and who couldn't, and what they could, and couldn't do.

I have all due respect for such folks, and uphold their freedom to join whatever group they so choose, whether it be the local Elks, the VFW, or the AANR (the American Association for Nude Recreation). I guess, though, that I echo the line from Groucho Marx, "I'd never join a club that would have me as a member."

Today there are nude cruises, nude resorts, nude conventions. That's fine. But actually organizing nudity takes some of the fun out of it. To be always nude is as impractical as being always clothed. There is a time, place, and purpose for both. No one wears clothes in the shower and I'm pretty sure there are few nudist bee-keepers. I love nudity. I love the human body. Do I really want my bus driver to be buck ass naked? Not so sure.

However, just as it would be ridiculous to walk into your morning shower in pajamas, it seems absurd that every beach, river, creek, stream, lake and pond on this planet is not "clothing optional."

Part of the inherent joy of being out in nature is getting away from the constructs of urban life. If I hike 15 miles to a remote lake and find another swimmer, I sure hope they are naked: male, female, young or old...it doesn't matter because we are both out in nature, no longer who we are in the city. We are simple outdoors, in the sun, beside water, and will logically strip down. Maybe we hike a little farther apart for the privacy of noise, or just to relax alone. I hope it is never in shame of our bodies, natural as the trees and shrubs, rocks and dirt.

I am not a nudist, I have decided. I do not seek a naked lifestyle. But I do want the god-given freedom to be naked in nature. Frankly, keeping shopping areas and public city places restricted makes flashing all the more daring, fun, and erotic. But forcing someone to wear a swimsuit in a hot spring or mountain creek or sandy shoreline is just unacceptable. Even if I spend my day in the city, here beside my laptop, I want to know that far out somewhere, in a river or lake, someone has stripped down, just as humans have forever, and stepping into the water to enjoy a refreshing swim and then the felling of sun warming the drops of water on bare skin as it dries.