Cool Things. Volume #4

BURNING MAN

My dear friend Robin Esrock has made a career writing about Bucket List adventures. Although he wasn’t the first person to tell me I needed to go to Burning Man, Robin is very excitable when he talks about things he loves.  Whether its travel, hot sauce or experiences, his enthusiasm is infectious and when he described Burning Man to me several years ago, I knew I finally had to get there.

I’ve written about my 2016 Burning Man experience in a previous post.  This one is all about why Burning Man makes the cool list.

FINDING YOUR TRIBE

Where else can self expression in every form not only encouraged, but embraced?  You want to recite poetry at 3 AM in a string bikini?  Create an art installation out of clothing pegs?  Learn how to square dance in the middle of desert?  Pretty much anything goes here and it’s liberating to be in this environment. Burning Man attracts some radical minds and if you’re one of them, the conversations alone are worth the trip.

INCLUSIVITY

No one is prejudiced against at Burning Man. You can show up with a backpack and flipflops and not have to worry about food or shelter.  The people will provide. While this magnanimous behaviour might not flow out into the real world as potent as it does within the playa, for a wonderful week, the sense of community is overwhelming. And community is what the event is all about.

REFLECTION

It may be mayhem while you’re in the middle of it, but the lasting impact of the event is surprisingly rich.  Two years after attending, I still think about the people I met, the music, the visuals, the essence of being there.  It changed me in ways I didn’t think it would.  It made me a better person. For this reason alone, Burning Man makes the cool list.  An event with so much resonance?  Dust be damned. Just do it.

Regular priced tickets for this years event go on sale March 28th.  Pre register between March 21st and 23rd.

If you end up going, I would love to hear your stories after the fact.