About a week after Burning Man ended, someone
wrote to the NYC Burning Man list
pointing to some
photos of Black Rock City being taken down. My initial response:
>Subject: [BManNYC] BRC almost gone
>http://www.flickr.com/photo.gne?id=420846
Oh man, I feel like I'm dying a little death. My home is now only "up there"
in my mind. But I guess it always was, wasn't it?
[long sigh]
Lee / Connector
Fey
wrote back right away on the list
BURN IT!!!
David responded to that with
I'm not sure that burning it would be consonant with Burning
Man's leave-no-trace philosophy. Or even the law. I've had misgivings about
using burn platforms to get rid of refuse. On one hand, they were a great
convenience, but on the other hand, the long black plumes of smoke were bad for
the air environment. Perhaps it would be more responsible to haul our refuse out
instead. Here's what Washoe County regulations state:
PROHIBITED
EMISSIONS
§ 040.035
"It is unlawful to
burn, or cause to be burned, any combustible refuse in any outdoor waste burner,
unless
that burner is an incinerator with a valid Permit to Operate"
From:
http://www.co.washoe.nv.us/health/air/regulations/Prohibited%20Emissions.pdf
FUCK IT!!!
BURN IT!!!
And then mine (the whole point of this page...)
After careful consideration of the moral and legal implications
(thanks to Fey and David for guidance) I have made a partial decision concerning
what I'll do about my home.
Hmm. I was originally going to be funny and say, "I'm going to fuckin burn it."
But then I thought back about my whole experience in the desert. I'm thinking
right now that I already -did- burn my home. I think I burned my old home in the
fires and I'm getting ready for my new one. I'm not sure. I don't know. But then
I haven't known for 2 years now. I'm still scared but I feel, after the burn,
that it's alright for me to walk where scary things are. They might bite. But
when they do, I can then make my choices... bite back... keep on walking...
change my path again. What the fuck am I saying?
I'm speaking from the comfort of cheap living conditions... an odd "sweet spot"
dollar-wise. But this sweet spot is also a neutral place; not going forward or
back; a stagnant place. I've been here before when I was working for The Very
Large Corporation of America.
I'm going to get my affairs in order and see what I can do.
Wish me luck, or don't.
PS. A friend told me a Burning Man story that I've been thinking about a lot
recently. A guy was walking around (maybe the Esplanade or Center Camp) yelling
at every passer-by, "Fuck you!!" Some reacted frightened-like and he kept
yelling, and pointing accusatorially. Some closed up and he kept shouting and
walking about. He didn't care. "Fuck you!" was all that mattered. Some shouted
back "Fuck you!" angrily. Some got it and screamed back, with smiles on their
faces. I'm not accustomed to being that person. I think I might want to be that
person.
I don't know.
But I'll keep walking around.
Fuck you!
Thanks.
Connector