Beauty (and the naked truth…)

I have a wonderful idea that I know I will never live to see. it would, over the period of time, solve a lot of problems and misconceptions. Moreover, I feel it would illustrate the point that has repeatedly struck my head, and give you an idea into what I view as beauty. And the reason why it wouldn’t work? Because no one in their right mind would ever pass it.

So, I bet you’re wondering what that idea is…

That idea is to make it a law where a few days out of every year, everyone who is not working and lives in an area where doing this would not cause bodily harm, would be forced to live all day bare naked. They go out in public, unless their job requires it (such as a police officer, fireman or doctor, for example), they can’t wear clothes. You get caught wearing clothes, you’ll be wearing cuffs – and nothing else.

Once that period is done, there’d be nothing to force it again until next year.

Now, before I address why we should attempt to do this, I should point out the problems. First, No one can control the weather. So, everyone might stay in on those days simply because going outside would make them sick.

Second, the chances of getting sick by other means becomes a lot easier, as well. What happens if you, a perfectly normal and healthy person, sits down in a spot previously occupied by a person who doesn’t know what a washcloth is or how to use it? Bacteria spreads, and pretty soon that funky (and not in a good way) person is in a lot of shit for sending everyone to the hospitals, where a bunch of fully clothed ER doctors and nurses see that you get better – if you can.

I think the most important aspect, though, is that no one would accept it, which brings me full circle to why it should be done. Our society, for all of the tolerance we have with people of different race, ethnicity, age, color, and preference, still has a habit of harshly dishing out cruelty to those who are and want to be different. While the source of this cruelty can be traced to many sources, the most prevalent may be the ones who have the most to hide: the rich and famous, who live and die off of their bodies.

I think it’s our biggest problem, though, that creates the reason: fear. Call it Vanity or something else, we’re going to be afraid of a few things. For those of us who wouldn’t care about being naked in public, the fear of getting sick will certainly keep them at home while the rest of the world plays; For many others, the fear of how others may view us will keep many of us locked indoors. Others – especially parents and women – will fear the ease at which a sexual predator can get to them or their children. A few of you will fear nothing except seeing someone else who’s unattractive to you naked.

I think it’s most of those reasons – I’ll address the one that shouldn’t change in a minute – that we should do it. Germaphobes would probably have the biggest argument the first few years it’s done, and a valid one at that – there’s probably a ton of viruses out there that could easily spread in this manner. It’d take a while, but I believe, either through evolution or through science – that we could get past this over time. As for those either afraid of how others perceive them or of how they will perceive others, I think the first few years, you’d be the ones secured in your homes while everyone else is outside to play. I also think your barriers would break down eventually and you’d see as I see: that many of the wrongs with how we look are ridiculous and utter nonsense. and that a person could look attractive at any age. Many of the things I bitch about are fixable things, such as weight and teeth, without the aid of plastic surgery or something crazy to alter the way I look unnaturally.

The only argument that keeps me from pushing this radical idea beyond the pages of a blog site and a few conversations amongst friends is the sexual predator aspect. As much as I would like to believe that it wouldn’t happen, the reality is that some of these people would find it easier to get to their prey, and with a law in effect to enable them to their targets faster, it would defeat all of the purpose of the idea I wish to push We could always lock up the ones we know about, but what’s stopping those we don’t know yet?

I think, though, that it is the way we look – and how we view ourselves – that creates many of the problems in society. Think about it for a second: Apart from money and vehicles, what would separate the rich from the poor in our society? If they couldn’t hide behind their wardrobe, nothing. Many of our “good-looking” people would be knocked down to merely average because the have no clothes to hide behind, no immediate barriers to keep is from seeing the truth about them. Bullies, who often pick on kids because they’re different, would have less to pick on, as they’d be showing plenty of ammo for the picked on to pick out. The biggest kicker, though, is that those on the lowest notches of society would gain a level or two as a result – they may not be equal with their brethren, but for a day or two, they’d be closer than they’ve been in a while.

The point I’m trying to drive is that the biggest problems in our society are the shields we put up, in many ways, to protect ourselves from a judgmental society. It’s learning to drop these barriers – in essence, to be as naked as you legally can – that’s going to help to change our society, as well as our perception of ourselves. It will only be then when being a naked society won’t be a social issue, it will only be a health one.