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The Blog That Burns

Birgins Doing It Right

9/12/2015

 
Ever since tickets started selling out in 2011, there's been a lot of handwringing over the % of birgins attending the event. There is no question that there are some pretty clueless birgins coming to the playa, particularly with the rise of plug n' play camps (even interactive ones) that make it easy to just show up with no preparation and no induction into our community. This isn't a post about them, though.
This is a post about John, who I don't even have a picture of unfortunately. We're going to pretend the guy on the right is John.

I was at a little backstreet bar (my favorite kind) some afternoon - I think Tuesday - chatting to some people when a 50 or 55 year old guy wearing cargo shorts, t-shirt, and REI sun hat wanders up. I say 'hi' and he asked, "So...how do I do this?" It was his first Burn, he had arrived the day before, and this was his first time at a bar. 
Picture
Not John.
I let him know it's as easy as walking up to the bar, smiling, and waiting for someone to offer you something, which they certainly will. So he did. Great!

John started talking to me about what he'd been doing before arriving on the playa. He'd been involved in this program called Honor Flight that flies aging veterans of US wars to Washington D.C. to see the monuments that were built to honor their sacrifices. He spoke about it with great reverence, and talked about he spent 3 straight days as the host of an elderly (obviously) WW2 vet and what a moving experience it was. 

He talked to me about the impressively long line of Harley riders that escorted their group at one point. The conversation evolved and he told me, with excitement, about the guns he got to recently shoot. He told me about how he's from Chicago and is a red meat and potatoes kind of guy. At this point I was thinking, "Huh, doesn't fit the profile of most of the birgins I meet these days. Hope he's going to be ok with all the strange new things out here as it doesn't seem like his scene."

Then he made me feel terrible for judging a book by its cover. John started telling me how he came to Burning Man to try new things, and how in the past 18 hours (his first hours on the playa) he'd gone to his first yoga class ever. How he'd gone to his first tantra class ever. How he had decided to be 100% vegan for the week. How he'd just come from one of the communal washing camps, where he'd washed and been washed. 

I was blown away. This guy, right here, was #doingitright. Hell, he was doing it better than most experienced Burners I know and I started wondering, "What have I done to push my boundaries this Burn? Not as much as John has....." 

It's not about the specific activities he did - it's that they were clearly not within the normal purview of his life, but he was completely open to them. That is a man who knows how to Just Say Yes.

John, if you're reading this, I want you to know that you're the most impressive birgin I've ever met and that you're an inspiration. I hope you had an amazing week and I hope we run into each other next year. Pretty sure you'll be back.
Picture

And in a neat coincidence, the first thing I saw when I turned on the tv in my hotel room in Reno post-Burn was....a long special report on the northern Nevada Honor Flight program that John was part of. Got me all teary watching these elderly vets who had given so much seeing the monuments for the first time.
Allyn McGillicuddy link
9/13/2015 08:38:23 pm

Matt, I was inspired by your posting about meeting a 'birgin'. I just completed my 3rd burn at Carnival of Mirrors. If you have a way to communicate back to him, please tell him the story of my namesake, Allan Robert Walsh. Allan was my father's childhood friend, and when the Japanese attacked American shores at Pearl Harbor, the two of them, aged 18, immediately enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. They were sent, after basic training, to the South Pacific. At the Battle of Iwo Jima, Allan performed an act of bravery to identify and communicate the position of the entrenched Japanese that resulted in the successful shelling by the U.S. Marines of the enemy position. In doing so, (I'm omitting a few details here) he exposed himself to the Japanese, who gunned him down. My father later carried his body to the beach and vowed to name his first son after Allan. As it turned out, my parents had 2 daughters, followed by my twin sister and me. My father fulfilled his vow by honoring me with the name Allyn Roberta. It has been my honor to tell Allan Robert Walsh's story, and to help fulfill my father's vow to his friend, on every opportunity. That's why I'm writing it now - to recount story of a courageous 19 year old boy who gave his life to defend his country, to save the lives of his fellow marines, including my father, and to share my own father's love for his friend. .

Dr. Yes
9/14/2015 08:38:18 am

Wow, that brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for sharing!

LostIt Ontheplaya aka: Tara
9/16/2015 11:17:25 pm

Thank you for telling your story, Allyn

Andrea Saliba link
9/15/2015 12:13:43 pm

Matt, thank you for sharing this! As a Burgin myself, what I liked most about BM was the unconditional love and acceptance and lack of judgement. I felt as if I was in a society free from judgement for seven full days. While I was totally and completely out of my comfort zone -- simply from the mere fact of being in a tent with vents and unable to wash my face for a week -- I did enjoy the principles by which Burning Man is founded, especially Radical Inclusion. And yes, this principle requires no judgement whatsoever…we are all one with each other…hippies and veterans and whomever.

Dr. Yes
9/15/2015 12:14:48 pm

Ouch! Tent with vents! Glad you still enjoyed yourself. :)


Comments are closed.

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    I'm Dr. Yes. I run this site,  lead a theme camp called Friendgasm, and make Burning Man videos. Just say yes, folks, and help keep Burning Man weird!

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Burn.Life is a non-commercial, hobbyist website  and no commerce, ads, paid endorsements are involved.  Any products mentioned or linked to are done so because I or people I trust have used them and I view them as reasonable recommendations. You can email me here: yes (-at-) burn (-dot-) life.
  • Blog
  • Videos
  • Year by Year HIstory
    • 1986 -1990: The Early Days
    • 1991-1996: Hypergrowth
    • 1997-2000: Maturation
    • 2001-2010: Graceful Aging
    • 2011-2015: The Age of Scarcity
    • 2016-2020: The End?
  • Preparing/Attending
    • Getting Tickets
    • Preparing >
      • Tents and Shade
      • RVs
      • Food and Water
      • Clothing & Costumes
      • Bikes
      • Cameras
      • Lag Screws 101
      • Burning on a Budget
      • Packing List
    • Getting to Burning Man (Entry)
    • Being There >
      • Adventuring on the playa
      • Art
      • Music
      • Poopin' on the Playa
      • Leave No Trace
    • Leaving Burning Man (Exodus)