Recently Nudiarist had a post about Absolute Naturism. It was the first time I’d ever come across the term and I’m not absolutely certain I know what it means other than the definition he provides in the post:

I think an absolute nudist or naturist is someone who is not ashamed to tell anyone about his or her chosen lifestyle, someone who is willing to lay it all on the line for the cause. It’s not just about living without clothing, it has to be about living without fear, and integrating with society.

By that definition I am not an absolute naturist, not even close. Is it something that I would aspire to be? Yes, I think so. I’m somewhat open about my naturist tendencies (blog, web page, forums, etc.) but I’m still pretty much in the closet. I’m not at a point where I feel comfortable talking about or revealing it to just anybody. There are some that I’m very sure would not understand or accept it. I’m a private person by nature and I’ve learned over the years to be careful about revealing too much.

I’m not sure what kind of naturist I am. My views about naturism and my practice of it are continually evolving and I don’t think it matters what label I apply to myself. I’ve incorporated and adapted the naturist lifestyle and philosophies into my life where I can. I try to be practical about it and realize that it doesn’t fit into many situations. I don’t have a problem with clothing since clothes do serve very useful purposes. While I prefer to be nude whenever possible, I don’t feel I’m compromising myself if I wear clothes when it’s to my advantage. Wearing clothes is no longer an automatic function. It’s always a conscious choice.

It’s not likely that I’ll ever have the opportunity to live the nude lifestyle year-round 24/7 although I’m very open to the idea. I don’t see myself cutting myself off from family and friends or even society in general to live nude. I will continue to incorporate naturism in to my life where it fits and do what I can to make it fit where it doesn’t currently fit. Even if I’m fully dressed, I’m still a naturist. Am I an absolute naturist? No. Am I a practical naturist? I think I could be. I find that more appealing.

Rick