I AM BORN AGAIN

It is difficult for an individual to describe the emotions and reactions he experiences when he embarks in the practice of social nudism. All nudists must remember the psychological impact of the various stimuli to which they exposed themselves. In each instance, depending upon the social, religious, economic, or philosophical background of the individual the response must, of necessity, have varied.

I find that the best way for me to describe my emotions is to think of a situation that is common to everyone, which provoked a feeling similar to that which I enjoyed upon my entry into organized nudism. An analogy comes to mind which serves this purpose.

Visualize one who has worked at hard manual labor all day. He is covered with dirt and grime, mixed with dried sweat. He goes home mentally and physically exhausted. Life is out of focus. His thinking is faulty, and he is depressed. Improper values are placed upon those things which constitute the sum total of living. Too tired to eat or think, he draws a hot bath. He climbs into the tub.

As the warm, soothing water envelopes his body, he succumbs to the hydrotherapy. He relaxes completely. Getting out of the bath after thoroughly cleansing himself, he dries himself by rubbing briskly with a clean towel. His body is clean and warm. It is radiant. His mind is at ease and at peace with himself and with the world. His thinking is crystal clear and logical. He feels as though a great burden has been removed from his shoulders. The solution to the many problems and mental conflicts, which have previously confronted and confused him, presents itself. His “modus operandi” is sure and logical. He is refreshed and cleansed--born a new–once again prepared to live life—to serve God, his fellow man, and himself.

The social pressures, to which each individual is subjected, are of great force. They cause mental disturbances because they frequently cannot be resolved since they are inconsistent. We become inhibited and confused by senseless taboos, by rules and regulations which are unnatural restraints upon the natural and normal manner in which human beings were intended to conflict themselves by the “Great Architect of the Universe.”

The practice of nudism gave birth—and I did feel as though I were born again—to a person who is mentally and physically invigorated by the proper exposure to the sun and the air, as well as to mentally stimulating people who are more friendly than one finds in any other society of people. The status of the individual is determined by the application of the philosophical truths rather than the material criteria usually applied in non-nudist groups. Nudists are people who live by the Golden Rule. I have started to live all over again, thanks to nudism. I am free.

Sol Stern
President of the American Sunbathing Association, 1961-62

(Source: American Sunbather, Vol. 14 No. 1, 120th issue, January, 1962)