Yes, clothing is a reality in a northern climate. Snow is still on the ground as spring approaches. In reality, spring doesn’t come to the Canadian prairies until sometime in April with the last frost hopefully happening before the last week in May. I know it has been said repeatedly by so many, but we are indeed naked beneath our clothing.
What does our nudity beneath our clothing actually tell us? We all have skin. We all have body parts. We all are imperfect. What else does nudity tell ourselves and others? Firstly, we have dared to be exposed and vulnerable to the world. Yet, even when nude, we hide most of the truths of who we are. We are more than our organs and body systems. Our “self awareness, the core of who we are” is not just a product of our brains, our experiences and our interactions.
We are more than two-dimensional beings. There is a dimension where we exist unknown to our ego, though ego is loathe to admit that anything that the senses can’t validate, is a mirage, an illusion. Most psychological frameworks steer away from what we call the unconscious. If it isn’t scientifically and empirically provable, it doesn’t exist. There is no shadow world. There are no archetypes, there is no meaning for life other than existing, producing and consuming. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust. Naturism is an end unto itself. Nudity for the physical sensations and cognitive benefits.
Having a dialogue between those naturists whose worldview is multi-dimensional and those for whom the world is basically “what you see is what you get” ends up in frustration for both sides. There is no listening to contradictory ideas. Rather, both sides engage in word storms that want to “convert” the other side to their way of knowing themselves and the world. How can we even begin to then build a consensus for a naturist worldview?
Naturism is a word with all the limits that go with an attempt to embed a philosophy with a word. To even hope that we can embed varying and sometimes competing philosophies, puts one into a sea of agitated boiling water. The only thing all groups agree upon is the fact that the human body is nude. After that fact, all bets are off. No one owns the word. And now, as a result, naturism has been co-opted by a few groups who have worldviews and intentions far removed from even the weakest of definitions. So, where does that leave us when hearing, seeing, and using the word naturism?