Saturday, October 28, 2006

burning man

i'm watching "The Drug Years" on the sundance channel and someone interviewed just compared that annual embarrassment Burning Man festival to Woodstock. i nearly dropped my mineral water when i heard this. buring man is an excuse for post dot.com douchebags and married folks who want to get away with infidelity to congregate, drop LSD, and take their clothes off. they can wallow in mud while dressed like a chicken and live lawlessly for a weekend. but, what kind of boundaries are pushed? anyone can take a bunch of drugs and get out of control. woo hoo. big deal. and the art that is made....is it that poignant and prolific? i am sure nothing created at burning man has impacted my life the way the music played at woodstock has. now, i have never been. thankfully. it does not impress me. woodstock, i was not there either. wish i could have been. woodstock was an epic event that can never be repeated. burning man looks like an adult rave. i can live without another rave for the rest of my days. i have a friend who goes every year. i need to ask her about it. she may change my mind.

i feel like i am always bitching in my blog. i guess i need to get in a better mood.

2 comments:

Specca360 said...

Wow. I have to say, I have been moved to comment. Burning Man is like the rest of the world. Just because some people murder, hate, and destroy, doesn't mean the world is not worth living on.

It's the same with burning man, but for starters, I've never seen or felt hate there, or seen murder. The only things destroyed are things that have tied people down while living our short lives.

For one, you're out in the desert, and it's not the same. You could die out there if you treated it just like a rave! When you get out there, it's not just about a party. It's about helping and supporting one another.

And believe me, for those married couples, there are still consequences, just like when they fool around anywhere else. That's right, it happens other places, not just at burning man. It could test a relationship, yes. But that could be good before marriage and as a divorced and single person "sieze the day". You don't hear about the fabulous relationships burning man has restored, but the stories are out there, and they are true.

Before burning man becomes "Las Vegas", I think you should go. You'll see what I mean. It's way too big to be one particular thing-good or bad. Love ya, take care.

s.p.e.c.t.r.e. said...

Our relationship has been reborn many times over the years, and I know what specca360 is saying is truthful.

My trip to Burningman 2006 was a story of restored relationship. I was on the road for a month, travelling to Seattle and Portland first, Buringman, then Yellowstone National Park.

specca and I hadn't communicated for about two years when I returned. It was utterly obvious to me from that trip that I was still in love, and after contacting her we got back together.

Once again we are not on speaking terms (now) and the reasons primarily have to do with our own personal flaws -- me, dependency and associated anger issues, her, maintaining honesty in the face of money problems and people advocating lying as a solution to problems -- relationship or otherwise.

This last stint together was the first time I considered our relationship fabulous.

For me, I had finally grown to trust specca completely --something she had never achieved.

Although she fell back down into dishonesty, I brought into our lives someone I had fooled around with last (I think). It was a stupid mistake, and her influence (sonnect) certainly contributed to specca's hiding the truth. Its the sort of error that grieves me in a way I am finding hard to overcome.

I also lost my job, and sonnect was right there cash in hand to cover for whatever role my support for specca's school expenses I could no longer cover. Combine that with that dependency problem, and you can see why the world seems to be crashing in on my. specca is one of only two women in my life I have wanted to end my life with, naturally.

I'm hoping we specca and I both rise from these ashes again after using our time well to focus on improving our individuality. Because in the end, only what you have to offer comes into play in keeping a relationship.

Burningman provides an outlet for intensity, and highlights ones own personal contribution to their own happiness like no other place.

I don't know if I can afford burningman this year. I don't know if specca360 is going either. I have seen specca post something like this many times before. Usually I encounter it months later... This comment made look ahead and within to add to my own future selves. And just maybe someone worthwhile shall notice.

As far as advice:
I've always recommended a celebate Burningman experience. If you go into it knowing your going to stay away from pursuing anything sexual, even with a wife or girlfriend if your not single, it takes off quite a burden from your shoulders.