Born to Burn

Last night I completed my Low-Income Ticket Application for Burning Man 2008, themed “the American Dream”.

Excitement shot through me, I knew this was one of my better pieces and would likely be my ticket through the gates into Black Rock City.

A common misconception of those out of the loop is that Burning Man is just a giant party in the desert. There are so many more qualities to Burning Man than its musically potent energy exchange commonly referred to as ‘partying’.

First and foremost BRC is constructed and maintained for six days in the desert of Nevada. Burners come from all over the world to participate in a self-sustaining community of art, love, and radical self reliance.

Radical self reliance means exactly what it sounds like. Every individual participant is expected to be able to nourish, shelter, and provide for themselves anything they will need for their six day stay in the desert. The city is set up like a sun dial, with ‘the man’ (a wooden constructed structure of the Burning Man symbol, scheduled to burn Saturday night) in the center, arms outstretched representing two and ten o’clock. All navigation through BRC is based on time references.

The most exciting aspect of the Burning Man experience is the gifting economy. Money is of no value in BRC. “Gifting” is the act of giving gifts with no expectations of a reciprocation of a gift. It is a selfless act intended to spread love and friendship.

Participation is highly encouraged in BRC. In fact, those who go for the ‘party in the desert’ and the ‘free drugs’ are often referred to as the ‘tourists’ of BRC, because they’re not getting the true Burning Man experience. Burning Man is about building a community and functioning in a self-sustaining way. Everyone has to pull their own weight.

Burning Man is a LEAVE NO TRACE EVENT. The only festivals I have ever been to have been Leave No Trace. What goes up will come down and you are expected as a participant to be aware of your surroundings at all times and understand the impact that you have on the environment around you. MOOP (Matter Out Of Place) is highly discouraged. It’s not so much about cleaning up after yourself as it is about not making a mess to begin with.

I had felt as the New Year came upon us that this was my year to go to Burning Man. Having my first English Assignment themed the same as this year’s burn? That just validated my suspicion that I am meant to be amongst some of the most brilliant minds of our world today.

BRC, I hope you’re ready for me!