I went to Burning Man. I’m still processing, but here’s my thoughts:
Burning Man is the epitome of a phenomenon. I can’t think of anything else more phenomenal than BM. You can’t make this shit up.
Burning Man is not just an art festival or a party in the desert. It’s a celebration of the human experience. And it’s also MUCH MORE than that.
BM is the most extraordinary expression of human creativity on Earth.
BM proves that anything is possible, yet nothing is permanent. Whether you’re @diplo playing to a crowd of 1000’s or a nudist lying in the dust roasting a sausage over the Man’s embers for your 3 amigos, BM reminds us that we’re all the same & equal; yet we’re also each unique.
Burning Man exposes the odd constructs of society that we live in that, while necessary, are limiting. BM makes us curiouser & curiouser, and continually begs the question “why?” and “how?”.
At BM, you look at things you’d normally overlook. At BM, I marveled at the beautiful simplicity of a giant metal statute, cried over a stranger’s note in the temple, savored the flavors of our camp’s hot noods at 4am, got lost in the story of Hamilton being sung by 25 fanatics, danced till exhaustion, handstood on a stage at a show, got foamed head-to-toe in a tank w/ 30 strangers, & saw multiple sunrises. I teetered between getting swept into the vortex of the playa and feeling my jaw drop as I zoomed out and realized how utterly insane it all was.
Don’t get me wrong, the struggle is real. My lips bled & I’m sleep deprived. But BM teaches us that the juice taste better when you squeeze it; that we must care for ourselves and others, give without expectation, and push our boundaries while respecting our limits.
Burning Man inspires us not only to dream big, but also to act on those dreams despite knowing that, like all things, it’ll all cease to exist at some point.
My intention at BM was to connect deeper to my intuition. To listen to my heart more & brain less. I leave BM exhausted, inspired, overwhelmed, and full of gratitude – and with a stronger heart beat than before. I’m happy I went.
Hugs to all.
<3 Jeff
