Four weeks to expose ourselves to one another in new and vulnerable ways.
People are shocked by all of this. Both figuratively and literally… The idea of being naked has been a challenge for centuries in many people’s psyche.
In fact, when people first learn to do public speaking, they’re told to imagine the crowd without clothes on. As if this ridiculous notion would calm one’s nerves? Personally, I’d be more uncomfortable.
Being naked, in the natural, is exposing every blemish, roll, freckle and mole. It reveals those “ugly parts” we really don’t want anyone to see, save a spouse or a doctor. It’s embarrassing and unnerving.
In the figurative sense, we all have the blemishes, rolls, freckles and moles of our past. Those mistakes feed our insecurities and become the nakedness that we ALL attempt to mask and clothe.
Far be it unwise to “expose” that information to just anyone. Even more detrimental would be to share too much of it.
Yet, what a freedom and relief it is to know that your secrets are out in the open and you don’t have to maintain a certain image or status. Though it may sting for a short time, you are no longer bound to the controlling and manipulative powers these naked truths create.
Isn’t it interesting that every Hollywood story that we love involves some “normal” Joe/Josephine overcoming person crisis or challenge? As a culture, we LOVE that stuff!
Rocky, Rudy, Boy gets girl, frog becomes prince, maid becomes princess…
Ironically, though we adore these story lines, our culture will not afford us the luxury of mistakes or failures. Why?
If one should pull a foolish prank in their youth, should their police record hold them from future successes, security permissions, political aspirations, or anything else of the sort?
What kind of wisdom, experience or knowledge comes from those that have fallen?
What peace, liberty or freedoms can I experience when I become free of guilt, shame or any condemning intentions of others?
