Burning Man

I guess going to a thing like Burning Man would be a change, right?

I imagine it would, DT, yes!

Listen to this episode here

Why on earth would you be talking about it here?

And what is it?

One question at a time, DT. You know how l like to focus, and famously the desert gathering known as Burning Man does not have a single focus.

What could a thing like that be focused on?

Community?

Not 6 feet apart, probably.

Artwork?

An artistic hallmark is in the eye of the beholder.

Absurdity?

Um, kuf, I'll consult some creative spirits and get back to you on that.

Decommodification?

Ouch. That. Is. One. Big. Word.

What does it mean?

Getting rid of money, I think. In a spirit of gifting.

Oh, so you can’t have money and happiness at the same time?

Actually, DT, you can. And you know that’s what we’re all about here.

It does take a special effort to have money and be happy.

To know where one stops and the other starts.

Yes.

So, what would be the point of your going?

Good Q, DT! It’s a paradigm shift.

A what?

A paradigm shift. A different way of looking at things.

You mean like we preach on this pod?

Yes, that’s right, DT! And that makes for a great segue…

Into what?

Into the introduction of the long-awaited idea of paradigm shifts into our little civil society.

Okay, go on.

You know how people will sometimes encourage you to change your wording?

Maybe, give an example.

Sure, so maybe you say, instead of saying, I have to [fill in the blank; do something], you’re encouraged to say, I GET to [fill in the blank; do something].

Okay, I’m with you.

Now let’s apply that idea to Paradigm Shifts.

How do we do that?

By mixing hard with easy.

How often?

Every day.

Mix hard with easy every day?

Yes, DT. Mix hard with easy every day.

That way it doesn’t end up being all that hard.

I learned the Russian alphabet that way, by setting it to an already familiar tune.

Which is a pretty deep rabbit hole, mon ami.

Right, so back to the Paradigm Shift.

If I refuse to envision myself as being a “burner”, as attendees to Burning Man are called, then I could very well be limiting the very learning and connection we all need to make this work.

Or maybe that’s not the case.

Right, DT, and don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that going would complete any connection – nothing of the sort.

But?

But that doesn’t mean I’m okay with limiting what might happen. After all, the Russian thing seems to be working out as well as the Spanish and French thing.

And the Shakespeare thing, thou foul defacer of God's handiwork.

DT rhymes with Richard Three.

I did advise you to keep your day job, right?

Yes, you did, DT. And I advise you to NOT keep your current paradigms.

Throw them all out?

The ones that aren’t serving you, specifically helping you toward one or more of your goals.

Yes, throw those ones out.

Others might just need to be improved.

Each is on a case-by-case basis.

But do something. Change how you look at things.

Are you connecting this to Burning Man?

I am. How I look at whether or not I would go to such a thing is everything.

How I look at it is everything.

You said that.

And I meant it. It’s true. I can’t very well express positive faith in my having gone from zero-to-sixty, figuratively speaking, in the podcast creation world this past year, and then say I would never go to this festival.

Is it a festival?

Actually, no it’s not. Thanks for catching that. It's a city wherein almost everything that happens is created entirely by its citizens, who are active participants in the experience. They make sure to include everyone and everything and leave no trace of themselves or of the activity itself behind.

I don’t know whether to ask you more about Burning Man or more about Paradigm Shifts!

Let me help you there. We’re going to be slowly and carefully introducing Paradigm Shifts into just about everything over many future pods, so you can focus on Burning Man for right here and now.

Okay, I’ll do that as soon as we get back!

Is there any competition?

There’s a thing called Further Future which is another annual event, except far more tech-centric and luxurious.

It’s a bunch of Burning Man tech industry alums who apparently didn’t think a temporary city in the desert was all that.

They also thought that Wi-Fi was a pretty good idea, and that’s something you don’t find much of in Black Rock City or Black Rock Desert.

How do we stay in touch with these Bohemian roots and/or learn more?

You can Google “Burning Man Journal” and “Jackrabbit Speaks”. And there’s always @burningman on Twitter.

It’s really popular. In 2018, 26,000 tickets reportedly sold in the first half-hour.

And that doesn’t even begin to account for post-pandemic demand.

Right, it might even be worth that roll around in the dust that first-time participants reportedly get…

Have?

Not have to - get to.

Get to do.

Roll around in the dust.

Yes.

Last question, what’s the significance of the Burning Man itself?

Oh, that can be debated all day. It’s just an early community creation that stuck around.

Can I connect it to Zozobra?

To who, DT?

Zozobra, the burning guy in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Oh, the one where you write down the things you want to get rid of, and then you put those written things inside the Zozobra giant.

Yes, that’s the one. And then?

And then the creative cooperation starts. The giant gets set on fire, and your and everybody else’s THINGS get burnt!

Go with this. How else might I think of it?

Well, like with the Paradigm Shift of mine about jumping into some sort of mutant vehicle and going to Burning Man.

Yes?

I could write on a sheet of paper that I would never go there.

After which?

And then, I would place that paper inside the Zozobra.

Oh, I like that kind of personal participation.

And then watch it burn?

Yo! That’s the idea.

Can I Google that?

Yep! Just type in Z-O-Z-O-B-R-A. It’ll find it.

Right Alexa?

What?

Never mind.

Have you ever done this?

I have! With a little grill behind my house back in Washington state.

I wrote a few things on a sheet of paper.

What things?

I don’t even remember anymore…which is kind of the point since I don’t believe them anymore either.

But then I put that paper on the grill outside on the patio and lit it on fire.

It seems a little silly, but it works. It really helps.

Is there a good, clean way to connect this sort of unofficial event into investing?

What do you mean by clean, no ashes from burning?

Maybe, if doing any real burning prevents anyone from winning using radical acts of gift giving, even to themselves like this.

Well, I don’t know if it’s clean, but it works.

It probably needs a break first, though.

Yes. No reason to take any chances there, right?

No, but everybody: get a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. Now.

So, what's the communal effort here? What are you going to have everyone do, DT?

With the pencil and paper?

Yes, or the pen and paper.

Whichever they pick. Either works.

I figure you’d want them to write down a goal they think is wild.

In some cases, I’m sure I would.

I just need to know more about your plan first.

This is really your plan, at least as you taught me.

Okay, then. Tell me my plan.

Tell THEM you mean.

Right, I want my plan to be told the way I planned.

Then you tell it that way.

You mean, me tell my plan?

That’s where I’m going.

And I see what you did there.

But okay, here I go.

This thing, this goal of yours, dear listener. I feel like I want to revisit the idea of A, B and C Goals, and we will, but we’re going to dedicate a whole show to that in the near future, so we’ll wait for now.

So, this whatever level goal they have…

Yes, DT. They’re all C-Goals for now.

Which is a really big goal.

Yes, that you are maybe not even sure you can do.

And?

And you write it down.

Like what?

Like, I will invest $100 every week.

If that’s a number of significance to you. A number you’re not sure you can do.

You write it down?

Yes, you write it down.

And then you burn it.

You watch it burn.

You get close, where you can smell it and feel it.

Because that’s where you’ll know it no longer has any power over you.

You’ll know you can do it.

Yes! You have the money, the resources, the knowledge, the confidence.

You are ready to win.

And you are ready to practice winning some more.

But you have to remember to practice.

Remember.

Practice.

Remember.

Practice.

And what do you do in order to remember?

You practice, and you…well…

ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS PRACTICE, AFTER WHICH YOU’LL GET GOOD!

¡Gracias por escuchar! ¡A la prochaine!