CounterformThu, Aug 14, 2008 To Reubensandwhich :
One piece of advice... don't let anyone else's experience or opinion, supplant your own. There is no greater evidence than direct experience. So yes, go, and experience for yourself, and try not to have expectations. Go with an open mind + heart, and I greatly suspect you will find bliss, or something of value to yourself. There are always those who bemoan that BM was so much better 'back in the day', etc etc.. However, I think they truly miss the point. BM is an experiment in creating a social/civic community, where the only commodity, is the act of giving, personal expression and art. Its about being wholly interesting & wholly interested. When I went my first time, I was rather cynical about it, and wasn't really interesting in going, & thought the scene wasn't for me. But a good friend thankfully twisted my arm, and I was proven very wrong in my naive assumptions.
In about a week, I will be heading out to the playa again, this will be my 7th year. And this year I'm on an art crew for Kate Raudenbush. Ever year is different, and has it's own particular tone, yet something also threads through. As I said, it is an experiment. An emergent system, which is slowly finding it's way... like an inspired child, constantly evolving, scaling, and reaching for new ways to be. And the core principals that this post was about are integral to it's growth. How far can this experimental city go while keeping to these principals? To me, that is something to really get excited about, to experience, and to bring the learnings back into the 'default world'.
To Xárene :
Thanks for your post. Though for me, BM is not a one time thing. It's principals and values are too important to not keep at it, and see where the experiment goes. Rising ticket prices are a small price, and I feel worth every penny. As the ticket's increase, so to does the amount of money BM pours back into the local community @ Gerlach, back into art grants, and Burners without Borders, etc. These are successful flows of commodity & value creation. This is how a system should go about.. slowly scaling, adapting, evolving, and re-generating. Cradle to cradle design. Yes there are rules & constraints, but as a design system, there must be. As for drugs etc, that's a result of the current state of gov't drug policies, not BM. So let's change the policies!
And your right, there are those who come and just observe, and maybe not truly get the spirit of the experiment. But you know, just to have the experience, just perhaps these yuppie scum you talk of, will go back into their worlds with a slight change in consciousness and smile on their face. In fact, they probably should go more than anyone else. It's about inclusiveness... everyone should be able to go & experience BM. There is no US vs. THEM. We are all worthy of a better way of playing this game we call humanity. And Burning Man is one hell of a way to play the game.
To Reubensandwhich :
One piece of advice... don't let anyone else's experience or opinion, supplant your own. There is no greater evidence than direct experience. So yes, go, and experience for yourself, and try not to have expectations. Go with an open mind + heart, and I greatly suspect you will find bliss, or something of value to yourself. There are always those who bemoan that BM was so much better 'back in the day', etc etc.. However, I think they truly miss the point. BM is an experiment in creating a social/civic community, where the only commodity, is the act of giving, personal expression and art. Its about being wholly interesting & wholly interested. When I went my first time, I was rather cynical about it, and wasn't really interesting in going, & thought the scene wasn't for me. But a good friend thankfully twisted my arm, and I was proven very wrong in my naive assumptions.
In about a week, I will be heading out to the playa again, this will be my 7th year. And this year I'm on an art crew for Kate Raudenbush. Ever year is different, and has it's own particular tone, yet something also threads through. As I said, it is an experiment. An emergent system, which is slowly finding it's way... like an inspired child, constantly evolving, scaling, and reaching for new ways to be. And the core principals that this post was about are integral to it's growth. How far can this experimental city go while keeping to these principals? To me, that is something to really get excited about, to experience, and to bring the learnings back into the 'default world'.
Another related post if your interested.
To Xárene :
Thanks for your post. Though for me, BM is not a one time thing. It's principals and values are too important to not keep at it, and see where the experiment goes. Rising ticket prices are a small price, and I feel worth every penny. As the ticket's increase, so to does the amount of money BM pours back into the local community @ Gerlach, back into art grants, and Burners without Borders, etc. These are successful flows of commodity & value creation. This is how a system should go about.. slowly scaling, adapting, evolving, and re-generating. Cradle to cradle design. Yes there are rules & constraints, but as a design system, there must be. As for drugs etc, that's a result of the current state of gov't drug policies, not BM. So let's change the policies!
And your right, there are those who come and just observe, and maybe not truly get the spirit of the experiment. But you know, just to have the experience, just perhaps these yuppie scum you talk of, will go back into their worlds with a slight change in consciousness and smile on their face. In fact, they probably should go more than anyone else. It's about inclusiveness... everyone should be able to go & experience BM. There is no US vs. THEM. We are all worthy of a better way of playing this game we call humanity. And Burning Man is one hell of a way to play the game.
- peace/love/progress,
m