Radical Inclusion Meets Radical Resolution

What I recognized and loved about being on the Playa was that I didn’t need to make sense of other people’s decisions. What do I mean by that? Have you ever been uninvited by a group of friends, and tried to make sense of it? “Rachel might have just accidentally forgot” “Mike didn’t invite me because he knew Mark would also be there” “That person is a jerk” “why wasn’t I invited, I am so confused, do they think I am weird,” “maybe I am being too sensitive.” When at Burning Man, it was the only time in my life, and probably most burning virgins' life, where we felt welcomed and invited by everyone. This made me discover that the people who don’t include you, don’t matter. Explaining why you were not included is not good for mental health. I have noticed I feel much happier when I don’t try and explain or make sense of other people’s behavior. It is easier to let things go. I can’t speak for everyone. I might be weird, but like everyone reading this, I am also human. And we all share human nature traits. Radical inclusion needs a place in the default world. It is easy to get lost in Burning Man principles in the default world. As we are products of our environment. Originally, I was very skeptical about going to Burning Man. Why? I don’t necessarily see radical inclusion in the local burner scene in NYC. Yet, burners were their best selves at Burning Man, as the environment fosters it. The day I left Burning Man I decided to start my New Year's Resolution, to embrace playa vibes in the default world, even during the most intense situations. This is a challenging task and goes beyond attitude embracing perms-playa principles. In the default world,not having a phone signal can cost us our jobs, being radically expressive can get us canceled even through misinterpretation, and accepting everyone can get us in toxic situations. Why start a New Year's Resolution in September? I asked someone at Burning Man “What time is it” and he showed me his watch, and it said “now.” Waiting till January to start my New Year's Resolution would be counterproductive. A way to keep the burner vibes is to focus on now.

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