When the year began I started questioning what I was going to do with the future of this Burning Man thing.
- The politics and hate I have been beaten up with by certain members of the community was really taking it’s toll.
- This period of waiting while Burning Man back peddled through making a decision on who would be the Regional Contacts for Southern Nevada.
- The trip to the Leadership Summit
- Then one of the previously mentioned haters telling people I was a drug dealer and a mental case…
It was all just too much. At the Burning Man Leadership Summit in March 2011 I was there with 7 other representatives from Vegas and it was just a ball of ugly political tension. All I could do was rise above it and separate myself from those who would continue the evil and the drama.
So, I chose to and am building on very positive projects I am hoping will take shape. I am working on a plan to develop grants for artists through a Burning Man non-regional community called nthTribe; based on the Burning Man principles and more added. There are also promises that I hope will fill in some of the cracks that seem to exist in Burning Man as it exists today.
I also proposed something called MAS (Member Action System) that will work like an EAP program and help members of the community suffering from drug and alcohol addiction; also want to include sexual addiction. Yet another thing I am waiting for Burning Man to get back to me on.
The company, Burning Man,LLC, is in the process of huge changes and probably has some higher priorities. It sucks some important processes have to suffer. We are here for the better future of the organization and its principles after all.
Meanwhile, I figured I have had my cherry busted with Burning Man about as much as it could be. Within the world of BM politics I have been dunked and taken a couple in the crotch. But, I stood up afterwards and kept moving.
I also figured I either had to take a new outlook and a new approach or walk away. Why should I walk away when I have come to find so many people in this culture so amazing. There are a lot of fuck-heads, but there are a lot more great people.