Why do we humans make things so complicated that they become unsustainable?
As part of the re-thinking of my life that I have gone through in the past year, I've realized that one of the things I want in life is simplicity. The simplicity I seek isn't in the extreme. I am not looking to isolate myself from civilization. I'm seeking simplicity in everything I do as a functioning member of society. No more keeping up with the Jones' (something I thought I didn't do, but I now see I did to some extent), no more buying things for the heck of it, no more complicating my life just because I can.
Complexity in everything we do seems to be human nature. Take agriculture - we have made agriculture so complex that it appears to only be economically viable with large farms that pump chemicals into the ground and use more water than they should. The costs of this type of production are high because of the chemicals, effort and water used. The land used loses it's efficacy over time and eventually it takes a small change in the system to make it unsustainable. We should be working with nature rather than fighting nature. Besides, chemical farming only appears to be a better method because we subsidize it.
At the other end of the technology spectrum, take cars. Cars have become amazingly complex. The backyard mechanic is practically non-existent. A lot of the change in cars has been for better safety and so on, but companies like Lotus demonstrate that we have gone too far. Most manufacturers throw technology at a problem to solve problems created by other technologies until we have a behemoth that guzzles fuel and consumes more resources than it should at birth. Lotus on the other hand is based on smart design so that you get supercar performance combined with great fuel consumption from a much cheaper, much lighter car.
In whatever I do, I'm going to think simplicity. I'm not going to be a fanatic about it, but I know it will improve the quality of my life as it already has.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Are we fooling ourselves?
One thing that I've wondered through my foray into nudism is, "Am I fooling myself into thinking nudism is a wholesome activity and that it really brings me peace of mind or this a fringe, slightly crazy activity as those who oppose it claim?" For that matter, are all of us nudists fooling ourselves into thinking that nudism is what we think it is and not what opponents and critics claim it is?
I recently read a book called Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert. In the book the author, a Psychologist, talks about how inaccurate we are when we try to remember the past or imagine the future. It's amazing how inaccurate we are when we try to imagine what an experience will feel like based on a description of the experience.
"... imagination fails to provide us with accurate previews of our emotional futures. ... when we imagine our futures we tend to fill in, leave out, and take little account of how differently we think about the future once we actually get there."
The most accurate method of estimating what something will feel like is to base that estimate on what someone who has experienced the same thing felt like, while they were going through the experience. This is more accurate than trying to imagine what the experience will feel like.
"... when people tell us about their current experiences, they are providing us with the kind of report about their subjective state that is considered the gold standard of happiness measures."
So what should we do when we want to know what an experience will feel like? We should trust in others' experiences!
"... we should give up on remembering and imagining entirely and use other people as surrogates for our future selves."
We tend to think that we would feel differently from how someone else felt during an experience because we are unique people and the other person may be very different from us. However, the other person's experience is still more accurate than trying to imagine it ourselves.
"... the experience of a single randomly selected individual can sometimes provide a better basis for predicting your future experience than your own imagination can."
So how does this relate to nudism? The subject matter in Stumbling on Happiness suggests that we are not fooling ourselves. We have time and again seen or heard how folks who were sceptical before they dove into nudism have absolutely loved nudism once they tried it. Even among those who tried it and stopped many did so because of societal pressures, or some idiot who bothered them, but not because they realized nudism is a weird activity or any such realization.
I don't think I'm going to have doubts about nudism or naturism again. I have experienced it, and that experience is as real as it gets. Someone else's opinion, based on their imagining what nudism is, will never be any more accurate than my experience. The peace and joy that comes from nudism is very, very real! And I know that social nudism is as wholesome as any activity as you can be involved in.
I recently read a book called Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert. In the book the author, a Psychologist, talks about how inaccurate we are when we try to remember the past or imagine the future. It's amazing how inaccurate we are when we try to imagine what an experience will feel like based on a description of the experience.
"... imagination fails to provide us with accurate previews of our emotional futures. ... when we imagine our futures we tend to fill in, leave out, and take little account of how differently we think about the future once we actually get there."
The most accurate method of estimating what something will feel like is to base that estimate on what someone who has experienced the same thing felt like, while they were going through the experience. This is more accurate than trying to imagine what the experience will feel like.
"... when people tell us about their current experiences, they are providing us with the kind of report about their subjective state that is considered the gold standard of happiness measures."
So what should we do when we want to know what an experience will feel like? We should trust in others' experiences!
"... we should give up on remembering and imagining entirely and use other people as surrogates for our future selves."
We tend to think that we would feel differently from how someone else felt during an experience because we are unique people and the other person may be very different from us. However, the other person's experience is still more accurate than trying to imagine it ourselves.
"... the experience of a single randomly selected individual can sometimes provide a better basis for predicting your future experience than your own imagination can."
So how does this relate to nudism? The subject matter in Stumbling on Happiness suggests that we are not fooling ourselves. We have time and again seen or heard how folks who were sceptical before they dove into nudism have absolutely loved nudism once they tried it. Even among those who tried it and stopped many did so because of societal pressures, or some idiot who bothered them, but not because they realized nudism is a weird activity or any such realization.
I don't think I'm going to have doubts about nudism or naturism again. I have experienced it, and that experience is as real as it gets. Someone else's opinion, based on their imagining what nudism is, will never be any more accurate than my experience. The peace and joy that comes from nudism is very, very real! And I know that social nudism is as wholesome as any activity as you can be involved in.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
More Zen Than Nudism!
Sometimes things slow you down
Whether it's work or play
You try to keep moving on
But circumstances force you to stay
When things get bad, realize this
It usually comes from something
You can't get, it starts to bug you
Like objections to your lack of clothing
At times like these, take a deep breath
Don't worry about future or past
Right now, live in this moment
It will go fast, it will not last
To further expand on my previous post on Zen and Nudism ... Nudism gave me peace of mind and helped me get past some of the mental blocks that were holding me back. And then ... when the objections to my nudism came fast and furious (literally!), I had to make choices. The choice I made resulted in restrictions to my nudist lifestyle and that started to get me down. I know - and knew - that I myself had made that choice, but every now and then I couldn't help thinking that it would be perfect if I could have it both ways.
The thought of having it both ways plays a number on my mind. I start to live in the future, and miss out on the present. But the present is our only reality. I would squander away minutes, hours or days of my life before I snapped out of it. And that's where Zen has helped me. Meditation gives me the stability that I seek and the ability to see things the way they are, to see reality for what it is. Having goals and a vision for the future is good, because it prevents me from drifting, but living in that future is a waste of time. I find it easy to intellectually understand the concept of living in the moment, but difficult to live my life by it. Meditation gives me that ability.
Whether it's work or play
You try to keep moving on
But circumstances force you to stay
When things get bad, realize this
It usually comes from something
You can't get, it starts to bug you
Like objections to your lack of clothing
At times like these, take a deep breath
Don't worry about future or past
Right now, live in this moment
It will go fast, it will not last
To further expand on my previous post on Zen and Nudism ... Nudism gave me peace of mind and helped me get past some of the mental blocks that were holding me back. And then ... when the objections to my nudism came fast and furious (literally!), I had to make choices. The choice I made resulted in restrictions to my nudist lifestyle and that started to get me down. I know - and knew - that I myself had made that choice, but every now and then I couldn't help thinking that it would be perfect if I could have it both ways.
The thought of having it both ways plays a number on my mind. I start to live in the future, and miss out on the present. But the present is our only reality. I would squander away minutes, hours or days of my life before I snapped out of it. And that's where Zen has helped me. Meditation gives me the stability that I seek and the ability to see things the way they are, to see reality for what it is. Having goals and a vision for the future is good, because it prevents me from drifting, but living in that future is a waste of time. I find it easy to intellectually understand the concept of living in the moment, but difficult to live my life by it. Meditation gives me that ability.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Zen and Nudism
I've been re-reading Hardcore Zen by Brad Warner. The book is a must read for anyone even remotely interested in the subject. The author is a former Punk Rocker, works in Japan making monster movies, and is a Zen Teacher in Japan. He presents a hilarious and wonderfully irreverent look at Zen.
Quoting from pg 55,
Every single human being in the world at some time thinks that "if only" this or that one of our conditions could be met then we'd be all set. ... Think again.
...
We always want to believe that somewhere there's a perfect situation, if only we weren't barred from it. But that's not the reality.
...
Maybe your lot right now could be improved. I know mine could. And working to make things better is great. But we don't just work to make things better and leave it at that, do we? We live in the idealized world inside our heads. And that keeps us from ever really enjoying what we have right now ...
It's not a new concept, but it got me to thinking about those of us who have family that don't approve of our inclination for nudism, how that plays on our minds, and the potential for unhappiness as a result of it. We do have the freedom and potential to change the situation, but we may be reluctant to do so. The reluctance most likely stems from a decision we've made based on priorities we've set ourselves - the decision that the circumstances that prevent us from pursuing our particular interest (e.g. nudism) is not worth losing something else (e.g. family).
If we don't fret, but keep working on creating more situations to experience nudism, and enjoy what opportunities pop up in our daily lives while we work on getting to where we would like to be, we'll be a lot happier and a lot more at peace.
This also applies to nudism, and life, in general. With the restrictions that are placed on our lifestyle by society, it can get frustrating, but if we enjoy what we do have we'll be better off for it. That doesn't mean we accept the restrictions if we don't want to. We must constantly work towards where we would like to be, but we must live in the current moment. If we live in the future, we may very well discover when we get there that the future is not what we had hoped for and, even if it is what we hoped for, we needlessly wasted the time we spent waiting to get there.
Quoting from pg 55,
Every single human being in the world at some time thinks that "if only" this or that one of our conditions could be met then we'd be all set. ... Think again.
...
We always want to believe that somewhere there's a perfect situation, if only we weren't barred from it. But that's not the reality.
...
Maybe your lot right now could be improved. I know mine could. And working to make things better is great. But we don't just work to make things better and leave it at that, do we? We live in the idealized world inside our heads. And that keeps us from ever really enjoying what we have right now ...
It's not a new concept, but it got me to thinking about those of us who have family that don't approve of our inclination for nudism, how that plays on our minds, and the potential for unhappiness as a result of it. We do have the freedom and potential to change the situation, but we may be reluctant to do so. The reluctance most likely stems from a decision we've made based on priorities we've set ourselves - the decision that the circumstances that prevent us from pursuing our particular interest (e.g. nudism) is not worth losing something else (e.g. family).
If we don't fret, but keep working on creating more situations to experience nudism, and enjoy what opportunities pop up in our daily lives while we work on getting to where we would like to be, we'll be a lot happier and a lot more at peace.
This also applies to nudism, and life, in general. With the restrictions that are placed on our lifestyle by society, it can get frustrating, but if we enjoy what we do have we'll be better off for it. That doesn't mean we accept the restrictions if we don't want to. We must constantly work towards where we would like to be, but we must live in the current moment. If we live in the future, we may very well discover when we get there that the future is not what we had hoped for and, even if it is what we hoped for, we needlessly wasted the time we spent waiting to get there.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Balancing Act
I haven't been able to make it to the beach the past three weekends and I'm really waiting for this weekend to come around so I can make my way to Black's Beach.
I have often wondered what it is that compels me to get my regular fix of Black's. I get to spend some part of the day nude at home, so I do get a partial fix almost every day, but that hasn't proven very satisfactory. Is social nudism the necessary ingredient? It could be that since my home is an environment that's not fully supportive or accepting of nudism, nudism at home results in relaxation with a hint of tension. Maybe it's the feeling of complete relaxation at the beach that makes it so special. Or maybe it's just the people - being with people who are open-minded and willing to accept you for what you are, warts and all!
It would be wonderful to live in a world where clothes were optional, whether at home, or work, or play. However, we have to balance what we have with what we need. How does one find that balance without driving oneself insane? There's no easy answer to that question. We live in a constantly changing world and requires continuous evaluation of where we are and where we want to go, and a continuous search for the right balance. Just like everything we deal with in life!
I have often wondered what it is that compels me to get my regular fix of Black's. I get to spend some part of the day nude at home, so I do get a partial fix almost every day, but that hasn't proven very satisfactory. Is social nudism the necessary ingredient? It could be that since my home is an environment that's not fully supportive or accepting of nudism, nudism at home results in relaxation with a hint of tension. Maybe it's the feeling of complete relaxation at the beach that makes it so special. Or maybe it's just the people - being with people who are open-minded and willing to accept you for what you are, warts and all!
It would be wonderful to live in a world where clothes were optional, whether at home, or work, or play. However, we have to balance what we have with what we need. How does one find that balance without driving oneself insane? There's no easy answer to that question. We live in a constantly changing world and requires continuous evaluation of where we are and where we want to go, and a continuous search for the right balance. Just like everything we deal with in life!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Social Nudism
The past couple of weeks have seen new angles in my foray into social nudism. Before that, it was something that my wife just didn't accept, and it created conflict between us. The past couple of weeks have been great because there is now acceptance on her part, and I have had a chance to think of my feelings on social nudism.
There's been a wonderful crowd at Black's Beach the past couple of Sundays. In addition, last Sunday I was honored to be part of a wedding. The Black's Beach Bares make their area of the beach very inviting and you feel safe and part of a family when you're there. Being there in a more relaxed frame of mind, I felt more free to chat with folks. I also read my book(s), use the boogie boards the Bares have on hand to ride the waves, body surfed, and just plain relaxed.
Social nudism and home nudism both feel good thanks to the lack of restrictions of clothes. (Saves on cooling costs too! :-) ) Social nudism goes beyond home nudism with the way people perceive each other. Shapes and sizes don't matter. When you talk to someone, you're just talking to them. I don't know how else to describe the openness of my conversations on Black's. The people I've met are wonderful and accepting, and in a short time I already feel like I have a connection to them as fellow human beings. I'm looking forward to many more Sundays at Black's!
There's been a wonderful crowd at Black's Beach the past couple of Sundays. In addition, last Sunday I was honored to be part of a wedding. The Black's Beach Bares make their area of the beach very inviting and you feel safe and part of a family when you're there. Being there in a more relaxed frame of mind, I felt more free to chat with folks. I also read my book(s), use the boogie boards the Bares have on hand to ride the waves, body surfed, and just plain relaxed.
Social nudism and home nudism both feel good thanks to the lack of restrictions of clothes. (Saves on cooling costs too! :-) ) Social nudism goes beyond home nudism with the way people perceive each other. Shapes and sizes don't matter. When you talk to someone, you're just talking to them. I don't know how else to describe the openness of my conversations on Black's. The people I've met are wonderful and accepting, and in a short time I already feel like I have a connection to them as fellow human beings. I'm looking forward to many more Sundays at Black's!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Black's Beach
I lie on the hot sand
Face turned to the side
Arms above my head
The sun beating down on my back
I hear the murmurs
Of people talking
Over the roar of the ocean
As I drift into semi-consciousness
I crack an eye open
See the sweat glisten
As it seeps from my arm
A little rivulet in the crook of my elbow
I love it here
It's peaceful and serene
This beach is special
The happy place I've been looking for
Face turned to the side
Arms above my head
The sun beating down on my back
I hear the murmurs
Of people talking
Over the roar of the ocean
As I drift into semi-consciousness
I crack an eye open
See the sweat glisten
As it seeps from my arm
A little rivulet in the crook of my elbow
I love it here
It's peaceful and serene
This beach is special
The happy place I've been looking for
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