Morley the Magnificent as it was titled on a podcast I heard in in July, Only a few days before he passed. I remember after listening thinking what an extraordinary man he was. They spoke about his early discovery into naturism at woodstock, his founding of Naturist Rochester and many other endeavours.
He was a very interesting and committed man to naturism and the life style.
It's important to recognise the contributions of those who champion a movement, but it also raises questions when people suddenly become vocal only after such a leader has passed. Where were these voices of support and recognition when that person was alive? How many of those now expressing their admiration had ever mentioned or supported him in forums, chats, or on social media? Did they contribute in any tangible way, such as through donations or by joining his movements and groups?
Moreover, it's perplexing to see some individuals, who now chastise others in the naturist community, hiding their own involvement behind closed doors. They claim to be beacons of the naturist movement, yet they fail at the very basics of sharing their enjoyment of the lifestyle. This kind of sharing could potentially help others understand, embrace, or even join the lifestyle. Isn't it hypocritical to advocate for naturism while not fully embodying its principles, especially when doing so could inspire and educate others?
In celebrating the legacy of a naturist leader, perhaps it's also a time for self-reflectionon what more could have been done during their life, and on how we each can genuinely contribute to the movement we claim to support.
I started out exploring intentional nudity as a teen, which gradually led to social experiences (e.g., skinnydipping with friends), long before the word "nudist" felt like an appropriate label for myself. I suspect few people woke up one day and went straight from fully textile to flying their nudist flag. I'm not saying it doesn't happen for some people, but I suspect that for most of us, the progression was more gradual. So a website that positioned itself as the arbiter of "true nudism" but rejected and/or demonized the experiences of newbies, wherever they were in their process, wouldn't really be serving the cause.
Interesting to see this thread turn is a diatribe against others in defense of self promotion. That is the nature of so much of what passes for nudism and naturism online today. I post about my trips and my photos therefore I am a naturist. what I call the individual content creator mode.
In my one in person encounter with Morley I did not observe him doing self promotion. As he moved about the NE Naturist Gathering and spoke to individuals and participated in workshops and conversation he extolled the value of naturism as a way of life. He held up the community they created at Sunsports as one example of this way of life. People from Sunsports shared all kinds of information about building a sustainable eco naturist community. I never heard him talk about how great he was or suggest anyone else was bad at promoting naturism. If fact he spent a great deal of time speaking with the leader of the Young Naturist Society (a group that at the time was being highly criticized by AANR) regarding ways the could collaborate.
Look at his videos on the Sunsports website and elsewhere online. He spoke about the importance having families in naturism. He spoke about naturism being a healthy way of life for todays world. I wont put world in his mouth but it feels the individual promoter mode so many are now invested in is not aligned with his passion for building a naturist social movement. It saddens me that the initial call to action tribute has been highjacked this way it isnt worthy of his work or legacy.
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