A RANDOM INCONSEQUENTIAL THOUGHT : Naked People in a Crowd

 JUST A RANDOM INCONSEQUENTIAL THOUGHT

In this day and age people tend to be overly conscious of their bodies and overly sensitive to any perceived imperfections. It has caused many people  pain and made them insecure.

But did you know that it is much more difficult than you might think to tell people apart when they are naked in a crowd? I learned that many years ago...

     Once, many years ago, I went to a pagan festival in Pennsylvania for 4 days. There was a sign at the gate where you exited the field where we were that said, 'Be sure to put all your clothes on before exiting. We don't want to shock the Amish. They are good people .'

I walked around in shock myself for the first 2 days. You did not have to take your clothes off but most people never wore any clothes while we were there. But the people were easy to get along with. They did not seem to mind the staring that I am sure that I was doing or any of the millions of questions that I had about the things that I saw usually regarding the placement of chains and piercings. The most surprising thing  to me that I learned, though, was just how difficult it is to tell humans apart when they are naked in a crowd of other naked people. 

      I had taken a nap but I knew my friends had gone to the hillside to relax in the sun. So when I woke up I went to find them.   When I came over the  hill what I saw surprised me.  There were about 150 people. Some were laying  in the sun. Some were reading. Some were sitting in circles talking and laughing.  But I did not see individual people. Instead, I was confronted with what looked to me like a sea of flesh.   I was trying to find my friend. and it took me forever. I had to get right up on people and and look at each one. Giving a once over or  just cursory glances did not work.  In a group of naked people all that flesh made everyone look far too similar.  It overwhelmed any of the individual differences that I usually notice whether consciously or subconsciously. It was more like I was looking at a herd of animals than a group of people.