Keeping/Losing the feel.

[Kiba]

I'm sorry if I'm not the first to comment on this subject.

I gained alot of peace and emotional harmony from my experiences at Burning Man, and I have all of you to thank. The reason I have all of you to thank is because Burning Man would not have seemed as it did without the participation of each and every other individual. As I registered for this message board I found myself categorizing the things I didn't enjoy at Burning Man, with the intent to express it to others (to vent really). Yet, upon coming onto the board I found that there have been a number of people who have done just that, and it seems to have gotten them nowhere. In an attempt to keep the feeling alive, I'll tell you what I didn't enjoy and how it allowed me to enjoy my OWN contribution more.

It's the proverbial elephant on the couch, the temple burn. Everyone was feeling eachother's energy on the night the man burned, but on the night of the temple burn there was a far wider spectrum of intent and emotion. Some people's emotion didn't mix with others, or at least that was the perception. I found myself disgusted with the those who were celebrating, and those who were celebrating probably got pretty tired of all the people sitting there, just staring at the fire. Some people wanted to add to the energy of the moment, some wanted to take a little of it back with them. I am sorry for the negative feelings I contributed toward those who were in celebration. If there weren't those making noise, there wouldn't have been those who were quiet. Burning man taught me that polarization of thought and action only leads to confrontation. If you see another's view as being opposed to your own, your actions will be opposed, no matter how much you try to make it appear otherwise. I keep saying 'you' in this, but I really mean 'me'.

Bottom line. I learned alot from BM. I can truly say I am a better person for my experiences, and I hope the Man made your dreams and wishes come true as he did mine. Everything else is just history, and history is better learned from than talked about.

Oh,... and I want to apologize to the Ranger who asked me to step back on the right side. Your caution was a result of your concern for my wellbeing, even if it didn't happen to fit my picture of what the scene should be. Thank you and god bless.