musings on sustainability and self-reliance

this past Memorial Day weekend i spent in southern California with about 15,000 other people for a music, yoga and art festival. the experience was fantastic and a great way to open the summer festival season. every festival requires a certain amount of preparation and self-reliance, and Lightning in a Bottle was no different. in 2008 i attended my first Burning Man, a festival based on two main principles: radical self-expression and radical self-reliance. since that first time i have learned what to bring and how to enjoy my time at the festival without being burdened to worry about anyone else.

here's a photo from Burning Man that shows the harsh desert environment and a little bit of the art that can be seen out there. for more information and thoughts about the Burn and Black Rock City, check out www.burningman.org. maybe it is a lot for me to expect that everybody be self-sufficient, however i believe that any adult who is willing and able to attend a festival should be able to fend for themselves. this past weekend i learned that this is not the case and there are many festival attendees who cannot function like this. thankfully, i have been able to learn from every festival i go to, both about myself and about what is necessary to have a good experience. having been able to do this, i am able to draw on my own knowledge and resources to have a good time and be fully prepared. i believe in self-sustainability and resourcefulness, in all matters of my life. if someone is unable to do the same for themselves at a festival, i will not be that generous. we all have to learn to take care of ourselves and sometimes we have to learn that the hard way. onward to preparation for the Bounce Festival in less than 3 weeks!!