BURNING MAN !
If you told me 20 years ago that I’d be going to Burning Man, I would have said “what’s Burning Man?” Then once you explained it to me, I probably would have said “Hmm. Let me think about that” and then I would have forgotten all about it.
Flash forward to present day- my good friend Andrea and his girlfriend, Elizabeth, invited me and Regina to join them at Burning Man. It was not their first time there and they felt I would appreciate the spirit of Burning Man and saw me as a future Burner!
They described it for me, and I’m going to describe it for you now, just in case you aren’t any more knowledgable about it than I was. . . .
Burning Man is a weeklong festival that takes place every year in August in “Black Rock City,” a popup city in what is typically a desolate stretch of desert in Nevada.
if you can imagine, it goes from being a barren spot without any trees or structures to a meticulously organized city of 75,000 people, seemingly overnight.
It has a very specific set of principles that all 75,000 must live by:
There is no cash . . . nothing to buy . . . nothing to sell. Only gifting.
A strong principle exists that EVERYONE must give to others and be completely self-reliant at the same time; you bring your own food (and booze) and SHARE.
Radical self-expression is encouraged and often arises from the individual’s unique gifts. No judgement.
Communal effort and respect for others is expected.
Last but not least, you must respect the land you’re on and LEAVE NO TRACE BEHIND.
Burning Man is not a music festival, but there is plenty of music, all day and all night. Contrary to popular belief, everyone does not walk around naked, but many do. Clothing is optional and roughly 1/4 of participants do without it. . . and more than that by the end of the week.
More importantly- the unique-to-Burning-Man experiences I would have made the decision for me. So my answer to Andrea and Elizabeth’s invitation was “Hell Yes!” If not now, when?
So after quite a few planning meetings/ wine-soaked dinners, we arranged to meet up just outside San Francisco to pick up the 35 ft. Winnebago we would call home for a week. Many people choose to live in tents or join Burning Man camps to offset the cost of admission ($1100 per ticket) and supplies, but we decided we would do Burning Man our way. On the way to the site, we stopped and bought provisions for the week and bicycles (an essential item for covering the vast terrain Black Rock City covers).
Everything went off without a hitch until we reached the entrance of Black Rock City. A major dust storm backed up traffic entering the camp, so we didn’t enter the camp until dawn the following day, a 14 hour delay! Despite that, the energy and excitement of the people we met hinted at the week to come. We were far from the lap of luxury but the shared struggle bonded strangers together.
Deserts are dusty beyond belief and the limited water supply meant few, if any, showers, for us that week. but if you were willing to put modesty aside, you could bathe communally at the Human Car(cass) Wash station.
Now, about the activities: there truly was something for everyone. Burning Man provides a small book to all of the Burners with a schedule of events each day. There’s more to see every hour than you can possibly do. So you have to pick and choose what you’ll do that day. . . .or wander around on your bike until you come across something that interests you. You have to look for the crowds and queues to guide you. There was a drunk yoga . . . Buddhist life-coaching . . .Tea and Porn . . . a Hug workshop . . . Welding in the nude . . . do I need to go any further?
Ok, I will. . . .You can go to the popular foodie camp and dine at a restaurant with menus and table service. You can make tutus for Tutu Tuesday (men and women welcome). You can join a debate on race relations. Or you can volunteer for radical social engagement experiments led by MIT students/fellow Burners.
A unique Burning Man experience I witnessed was the Sexual Olympics - - which I will only describe for you in person - -and an Orgy Dome and an Orgy Bus, which I probably don’t need to describe at all. Use your imagination. Yes, I did view the Olympics, and yes, I did go into the Orgy Dome- -another subject I will only describe in person if you’re curious. What happens at Burning Man stays at Burning Man!
Remember the principle that all Burners are required to gift to others? It needn’t be a material gift. I was prepared to use my HR experience to offer career guidance to all who sought it. I had a glowing LED sign hand made by Regina that stated “Career Guidance.” I saw similar people offering help on a variety of topics at their own “Lucy lemonade stands” and they each had attracted long lines. But I got so engaged in all kinds of stuff that week, I never got around to setting up and sitting at my Career Guidance stand. Shame on me and wait till next year!
And yes, I will be going next year;)
I’m joining Andrea in investing in a piece of art for Burning Man 2020 called Diver UP. It’s brass, 25 feet tall, and it gives you a mist shower from . . . well, just guess! It will join some of the other giant works of art that artists scatter throughout Black Rock City. I didn’t even tell you about the amazing art I saw at Burning Man, but I’ll have the pictures speak for themselves.
Moments before they lit the Man
And why is it called Burning Man? Because on the last night, in front of what seems like every one of the 75,000 Burners, the Man is Burned to grand fanfare. He was made for that purpose. And then all 75,000 Burners begin their exit leaving the desert exactly as they found it, for their long returns home, knowing they won’t experience another Burning Man like the one they had.
