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Did Burning Man Just Become the “Default World?”


April 3, 2020
Today, I was perusing the “Emotional Survival Guide to Burning Man” I wrote seven years ago. I couldn’t help but notice the congruence with our current quarantine conditions: Islands are More Intense, Learn to Truly Surrender, Choose Your Nest Carefully, Stay Open and Curious, Tend to Your Hierarchy of Needs, and Learn How to Give and Receive Gifts.

This got me thinking. What if Burning Man’s 10 Principles defined “the end of the world as we know it”?

  1. Radical Inclusion
  2. Gifting
  3. Decommodification
  4. Radical Self-Reliance
  5. Radical Self-Expression
  6. Communal Effort
  7. Civic Responsibility
  8. Leaving No Trace
  9. Participation
  10. Immediacy

A wise friend once told me Burning Man is what society would be like if artists ruled the world. Germany’s leaders are offering their artist community 50 billion Euro as a way to assure creative expression is still fed in this time of widespread pan_ _ _ic. What if it’s time for artists to rule Earth, and the next few years of climate solutions are our form of leaving no trace before we make the great exodus to Mars?

Yes, I’ve fasted all day when I wrote this one. Maybe a little light-headed. Apologies.

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