
I have an online friend whom I met at one of the on-line, naturist social sites called The Nook. Lukas has consented to the use of his images on this blog site, trusting that the content honours both him and the world of naturism.
Lukas is a man a lot like myself. For the most part, a home naturist. But when the time and circumstances permit, there are sorties out to enjoy the larger world as naturists, times when it is not a threat to our personal safety. It’s easier for him than it is for me because he lives in mainland Europe.

It is sad when you think about it. Here is a man, a good man who wants little in life other than personal freedom, freedom that doesn’t take anything from others. Yet, others would unhesitatingly, rush to take away the simple freedom to be authentically “self.”
What does it cost others when someone such as Lukas or myself, choose not to wear clothing in our own homes, or on our own property? It doesn’t cost anything. What would it matter if either of us should choose to walk down a woodland trail, across a meadow far from any town or village while clothing free? It wouldn’t cost anything.

There are no real threats to others as we lead or ordinary lives without wearing clothing simply because someone might be “offended.” Of course, one is offended, not really by others, but by the fuzzy beliefs that are held. One chooses what is offensive, and often based on the fears and worries of those who came before us. We cite religious reasons which quickly disappear when the foundations of those religions and their holy texts are examined. One cites psychological trauma. Of course, that trauma is not levied by the person who is seen naked, but by the culture who inculcates the notion that one “ought” to be traumatised when seeing nudity.
Yes, in our modern world there are issues with nudity. However, the issues are not based on rational, psychological, or spiritual foundations. The sight of a naked human in real-life proximity does not result in a threat to be sexually assaulted or raped. Yet we want to criminalise those who aren’t shamed by their own bodies. Somehow, as a society, it is much better to be traumatised by bare skin, to be ashamed of the body we are born with, of not meeting up with the media created notion of what a human body, suitably clothed in designer outfits, should look like. No one questions the absurdity of being held hostage by industry that needs us to be clothed in order to reap profits. Somehow we are being convinced that our bodies are unacceptable. And as a result, we become depressed, angry, sad, and even fearful of a world that really doesn’t like people.