Burning Man 2014: Vinegar and Honey

The Man Burn live feed filmed by Larry Nimmer and then projected onto the TMSL aka Big TV Mutant Vehicle during the Burn. Also pictured: tea pots mutant vehicle.

We made it back from Burning Man Monday night which means time to get assimilated again, get cleaned up, and get caught up. For my son, that means a lot of math homework that he’s agonizing over–and keeping me from doing what I need to do to prepare for school!

After the sweetness of Burning Man, it’s time for the vinegar.

Because of the chemical make-up of the playa, the dust that covers everything doesn’t really wash off–you must use vinegar to cut through it. Put it in two bottles –one straight and one dilute. You can also put some lemon in it to make it smell better. We’ve also learned to vacuum everything that can be vacuumed to remove the dust. Then in the washing machine be sure to include a cup of vinegar.

So that’s the vinegar part. The memories and the transformations that occur out there are the honey.

For example, Grover Norquist enjoyed Burning Man so much that he wants to come back next year and bring the kids and stay in Kidsville; I tweeted to him about Black Rock Scouts and he responded that he would tell his wife.

It can be hard to assimilate. You get used to meeting everyone with a hug, to dancing at dawn, to exchanges of gifts.

But the lessons can stay with us, a different approach to life, a desire to develop and maintain community, to create.

When I saw this Thai commercial, even though it is not about Burning Man, it struck me how much it is about the “gift economy” and how “doing good” and “giving back” changes us for the better. It’s the honey.

Read more Burning Man’s 10 Principles: A Journey Into Community Soul Making & New Economy.

More stories and images to follow. Right now I’m just trying to get my kid to school and be ready to teach this afternoon! Hmn, think I’ll show that video to kick start our discussions…