What does it Mean to be Natural?

For the most part, we use the term "natural" as something positive, and something to aspire to.  People behave in a natural way when they lack nervousness or self-consciousness.  Somebody with talent is a "natural".  Acting naturally arouses no suspicion and puts those around at ease.  The key, probably, is the apparent lack of effort in this sort of behavior; however, we also expect that behavior to be acceptable or correct.  While there may be no effort in behaving atrociously, we do not apply the label of natural to it.  By the same token, a person who uses proper behavior, but is evidently uncomfortable or unsure of how to carry out that behavior is definitely unnatural, and an object of derision, pity, or even fear.  The word evokes our roots or evolutionary origins, and the idea that it is what we are supposed to be, without the interference of artificial or superficial training or expectations by a changing and ultimately inhuman society.  There was some debate about the positivity of the word, whether the fact of using nature as the source of it made it necessarily a good thing, and indeed we tend to speak of positive feelings when we use the word.  However, we all know that plenty of natural things are not what we would call good or desirable to run into - bacteria, viruses, poisonous plants and animals, even minerals like asbestos.  We could say this puts the lie to that category of products that have "all-natural" featured prominently on the packaging.  Still, as we all also know, words have power beyond their strict definitions, and the feeling we have for a natural product or person is warmer and more accepting than for one which is industrial, manufactured, or even openly identified as refined.  There is a common assumption that natural living will protect us, allowing us to live healthier, longer lives, an idea which may have some basis in fact, but is also not truly natural.  The natural thing is for us to die.  Probably horribly.  We cling to the salvation of nature in spite of that.  Interestingly, an alternate word for nudist is naturalist, implying a belief in the falsity and possible harmfulness of clothing merely because we do not grow it on our own backs.  We also use natural to mean logical or believable, in the sense of natural outcome.  We might be trying to play up the evolutionary roots of behavior that we deem correct yet again, with synonymous words being: normal; typical; logical; common-sense.  We can even use this form of natural for things we do not necessarily like, but can understand.  A teased dog will bite - it is a natural reaction, not one that we generally hope to see.  People will begin to avoid somebody unpleasant - it is a natural reaction, and one which is logical if we think that life forms evolve to avoid unnecessary discomfort.

The Educator admitted she had not voted for the topic the week before, but she did enjoy the True Philosopher's essay, in which he used several contrasting ideas to paint a picture of what might be natural.  She mentioned several things which represented the "natural" for her, including the way children come out in photographs versus how adults tend to come out.  Children are more spontaneous, while adults pose, losing their naturalness.  Plastic surgery is also an example of loss of naturalness, and for her generally something bad since it usually does not look "right".  At the same time, what is considered to be natural may have much to do with society and its values.  Because we value youth so much, those who feign youth and are discovered in it face severe criticism, for instance.  Also, some cultures promote more excessive expressions of emotion, which might seem forced to us, while others prefer only the subtlest hint at what one is feeling, which we might think unnatural in its repression.  We know that actors are performing characters, but at the same time we want to believe those characters are real, to the point that good actors sometimes face abuse for their characters' actions.  There should be a naturalness or authenticity in the acting to reach that point.  Finally, she also had the connection between nudists and nature in mind, and mentioned the growing popularity of natural medicine, with the idea that less chemical treatments should be better for us.

The Leader defined natural as being true to one's character, but wondered if it was being true to biology.  He also asked if being natural is an intentional behavior, which would remove biology from the question since biology has no intention behind it.  Responding to a comment on the growing naturalness of behavior with age, he suggested cynicism might have something to do with it as well, or just a biological process of loss of inhibition.  As for the reason we identify natural behavior as something positive, he proposed that it is a strategy to keep peace in society and reduce aggressive behavior between individuals.  Indeed, most so-called natural behavior does promote kindness and generosity between members of society.  The Leader also mentioned the question of whether unconventional or disturbing behavior was a strategy for attention of a brain problem, if we accept that naturalness is a strategy to keep from rocking the boat.  Finally, he got down to his ongoing theme of survival, saying being natural is simply having a successful survival strategy, and one that is not inherent but rather the product of many influences over the course of our lives.  He conceded that children may be more spontaneous in that sense of natural, but they are also much more easily influenced.

A Possibly Permanent Guest had first brought up the issue of children.  She also noted that the expectations of society require us to tow the line, but only to a certain extent.  Also, as we grow older, it becomes less important for us to openly fit the mold.  After a certain age, one has to be oneself, especially because one should know who one is.  The ego is not necessarily the self, and should be put aside in a state of naturalness.  She blamed advertising for creating an inflated expectation among us as to the benefits of natural products, yet also worried about the deeper intentions of those who promote GMOs.  While some of their characteristics sound beneficial, such as hardiness or increased nutritional value, she wondered about their restricted use and obvious manipulation for the profits of Big Agro, when the world probably produces enough food to feed everyone.  It is behind the scenes dealings that prevent governments and organizations from distributing that food, leading us to imagine a smaller supply than we have and cast our hopes on manufactured plants.