I will say again that Burning Man is not for everyone. I have never attempted to recruit anyone unless I felt that it held some personal benefit for them to help them through a stage of their life, and even then I feel that people can judge for themselves whether they want to participate. Also, people are free to not like it, just like I am free to not like other things that people choose to do. But I do want to share this article, which I think gives a good perspective to counterbalance the many, many articles that make it seem like its all supermodels, tech CEOs and rich kids. That exists among everything else. The larger, overall spirit which still remains, despite its growth, is community. For example, the camp that I belong to spends money and resources hosting a big sushi party as a gift to the community. Many of us never even get one piece. Some people buy elaborate, expensive costumes. Most people I know spend nights and weekends after working their jobs creating and sewing their own costumes. Some people go and never put on a costume. It doesnt matter. You do as much or as little as you want. Some people can easily afford to go, and others struggle. In countless incidents, I have seen those without a means to go be helped by others, either individuals or groups. Many of those art projects you see are funded by grants or donations. I think when it comes to the wasting of resources, I compare it to an international vacation. It takes a lot of jet fuel to get people to Club Med, a lot of water to keep those linens clean and dry, and I guarantee that the food that they serve does not all come from local resources. To give another example, say you decide to backpack around Europe. Unless you swim there, some kind of energy had to be used to get you there to have that experience, and any high tech gear you bring along was probably not made at the mom and pop store down the street. And thats 365 days a year, this is a week. Consider this as well: I hate camping, I hate being dirty, Im not a huge fan of dressing up, and I hate feeling that I am at a party that I cant leave. And I have happily done all of these things since my first burn in 2006. Im not what you may think of as a typical Burner, and Im pretty far from being a hippie. But I am a Burner, and proud to have that as part of my identity. The bigger picture idea that I will leave you with is that I believe that a lot of people who go to Burning Man are inspired to be better people in their everyday lives after they leave. That, to me, is the true gift of the event. Considering how many people attend, that is a LOT of good, creative, motivated energy being put back into the world. Think of how many people are off of their laptops and phones for a week. At the very least, I think we need that! You can still hate it, and I respect that my opinion is just one among many. There are a lot of jerks in the world, and when they go to Burning Man, theyre still jerks, and they somehow get a lot of press. I get that. The big, goofy, silly festival in the desert is easy to hate. Me, I like seeing some big smiles and silliness in my news feed, and the amazing art that comes straight from peoples imaginations into a very unique, temporary reality. I love seeing people who work 9-5 corporate jobs put on a pair of fairy wings and ride through a desert landscape at sunrise. Its magical and joyful, to me. Form your own opinion, Im just throwing this into the mix.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 03:14:06 +0000
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