Getting Naked

Last Wednesday the U.S. celebrated the traditional anniversary of its independence from Great Britain and King George III. It was, in fact, 231st anniversary of that great tradition; but there is another great American tradition that you seldom hear about these days -- that's right, We're talking about getting naked.

Yep, whether it is walking in the nude or swimming in the nude, also called skinny dipping in the U.S., Americans -- from the country's founding fathers to the pioneers who pushed America's boundaries westward -- have enjoyed taking off their clothes in the open air for centuries. In the early days of America, of course, there were no swimming pools and swimsuits hadn't yet been designed, so skinny dipping was pretty much they way to go swimming, though usually in small groups or solo.

In fact, no less a figure in American history than Benjamin Franklin, one of the country's founding fathers, was a major advocate of the benefits of enjoying the sunshine naked, and has written of what he called "air bathes".

John Quincy Adams, the 6th president of the U.S., was known to go skinny dipping in the Potomac River.

Another famous Potomac River skinny dipper was Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the U.S. and the man who created the National Parks system to preserve some of the country's most beautiful natural landmarks. It has been, for a long time suspected that Teddy Roosevelt created the parks system just to preserve some of nation's most scenic and attractive skinny dipping locations.

But nudity isn't just a great American tradition, it is also a great -- and pleasurable -- human tradition which has been written about and enjoyed by the classic and ancient Romans, Greeks and can even be found in Egyptian hieroglyphs. In fact, you can trace human nudity all the way back to the very beginnings of the species homo sapiens. Want proof? Okay, here it is: "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." That quote is from the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis, Chapter II, verse 25.

I mention all these facts on human nudity because it is the middle of summer in the northern hemisphere of the planet and there is no better time than summer to get free of your cumbersome clothes and get in touch with your "inner being" by being naked and free, as a jaybird -- without being ashamed.

Just remember, this is the 21st Century and some places have very strict laws about when and where a person can be naked, so please follow the applicable laws wherever you are because, while there's nothing to be ashamed of in being naked, walking around with a ticket stuck to your bare behind can be a bit ... well ... embarrassing, not to mention expensive.