The journey to Burning Man is not an accident. We as humans strive to find meaning in life. Our relationships, our wants and desires are pretty common when you get down to the basics of it. Love, home, security... theese are basic needs.
I personally have found it a wonder and challenge to participate in this ever evolving expression of life. Black Rock City is a safe zone of creative potential. Poeple from all backrounds can come together and share a common sense of belonging to a larger whole.
When you arrive at the desert among other people who share the same wonderment and curiosity, it begins to settle in that out in the Black, there is a certain comfort knowing that, yes, I am not alone.
Far away from the daily tedium, there is a place here to live without social boundrys, to meet others from all over the planet who truly seek a community experience of wholeness.
Some people plan year round to be a part of the burn, some fly in and just watch. Better to come prepared and become a piece of the whole rather than to just observe.
We the people make up our collective identity. We are what we have sown. The Burning Man experience is not for everyone, but it is for all of us. This is a shared experience, we share it willingly with love and determination to celebrate life. To become more aware, to become more connected to the fleeting life and death struggles involved with bracing the harsh environment of the nearly sterile desert reminds us that life is hard, but it does not have to be so hard that you lose yourself in the struggle.
Respect for the desert is tantamount for the survival of this collective persuit. "Leave no trace" is not some catch phrase, It implies a sincere respect for our environment that, hopefully, participants will take home with them and implement it into their lives away from Black Rock City. The Burning Man project is just that. It is a project, an annex of awareness showing us how things can be with cooperation and consideration for the details that makes our society as a whole function. There is no war at BM, there is no commertial gain at BM, there is no need for greed and waste. Yes, there is an infrastructure, yes, there is a presence of rangers who help keep chaos in line. Yes, there is a medical staff who looks out for our health. Yes, there is a sense of order built into the structure of Black Rock City. It is a city after all. Thirty thousand and counting. That is a lot of people and logistics to contend with.
It is no accident that we have streets and avenues to traverse. It is no accident that we have a thoughtfully organised site plan within which to construct our collective environmet. There are people who spend the entire year to ensure our safety, let alone the zoning and political requirements just to help make BM happen. Burning Man as a concept lives on daily for those who make this an opportunity for the rest of us who just show up for the event. This is serious business. That entrance fee that you pay just to get into BRC barely covers all that I have just mentioned. Going to Burning Man is an opportunity to share in a brilliant expression of fellow human creativity and ingenuity.
So, make the trip to BM and be VERY prepared. The only one who can let you down is you. Respect the rules (yes, there are rules, duh, see the BM web site http://burningman.com ) and you just might find yourself seeing and experiencing something new.
JB Camp Kommander Clusterfork, 6-12-07