Radical Inclusion

“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.”
-Jack Kerouac, On the Road

As promised, this week I’d like to delve a little into the 10 principles of Burning Man.  While I find each of these elements to be integral to the Burning Man experience and something to strive for during the other 358 days of the year, it is also a bit of a critique, so die-hard Burners should probably avert their eyes.  That said, a lot of this has absolutely nothing to do with BM whatsoever.

1)    Radical Inclusion–“Anyone may be a part of Burning Man.  We welcome and respect the stranger.  No prerequisites exist for participation in our community.”

It is unfortunate that “radical” must ever be a qualifier for inclusion, but I think that those who have lived in a society (so, all of us) would agree that this is not the reality.  As individuals, we relate to one another by shared values, interests, belief systems.  But paradoxically, highlighting these similarities inherently draws a sharp focus on the things which we do not have in common.  It could be argued that the cornerstone of any society hinges on this one idea of what merits inclusion, and from that develops a kind of prioritization, levels of acceptance.  It is beautiful because these are moments in which we agree, are united, are laughing.  It is terrible because these are the same moments in which “otherness” is most apparent.  And it’s not even something we do only to others; we do it to ourselves as well.

Part of what I think is so freakin’ interesting about human nature is this constant need for both acceptance and distinction, simultaneously.  And this paradox exists at all levels of organization, from the individual, to the state, to the planet.  In fact, one of the reasons I wanted to start this website (though nearly a year in now and I’ve yet to touch it) was to foster a better understanding and ultimately acceptance between the various communities to which I belong.  As a woman who works in an almost entirely male environ, as a traveler based out of one city for 12 years, as someone whose ancestors came to the US by choice and from as far back as the 1600s living in the cultural melting pot of the world and in specifically, a first generation American immigrant neighborhood, as a student who’s undergone the initiations of academia working alongside craftsmen with some of the highest calibers of experiential knowledge, I’ve seen a lot of harmony and a lot of conflict.  I’ve seen a lot of both sides.  It may sound naïve, but I’ve always had this sneaking suspicion that most conflict can be boiled down to miscommunication.  To me, facilitating a process that leads to better understanding among people is one of the most worthwhile endeavors to invest in.  But how do we do it?  How do we find a way to include without stifling the individual, without defining the others as “other”?  These days, opening up a conversation on anything seems to lead to a lot of opposing viewpoints based solely in opposition to already expressed viewpoints.  Thank you, Age of Information.

Radical Inclusion operates in a really beautiful way at Burning Man.  The idea is that it’s a week where you can let out who ever you feel you really are, so by extension a non-judgement on what you’re wearing or doing is a non-judgement on your inner personhood.  Once you are in the gates, there’s a lot of love, a lot of acceptance, a lot of not caring about what lies on the outside.  It would be great if in the everyday world, we could drop the norm and not pay such a steep social price.  If people could wear giant wings some days because they woke up feeling like a fairy.  While the feeling amongst participants at the event is inclusive, there are mores and norms that have developed.  The truth is, part of what defines a community is what and who lies beyond it.  Though no one would say anything, you might feel a little out of place if you’re not quite outrageous enough.  If you are not open-mindedenough.  One of the most rewarding challenges is remaining open to different experiences, people and ideas, but it would be nearly impossible to be open to all the ideas out there.  To me, the exercise of being open is as much about dissolving your boundaries as it is about understanding where they are firmly established and why.  Also lest we forget, the Principal of Radical Inclusion is one adopted once inside the gate because you’ve entered into a community that has agreed to make space for it.  But that community only exists for a week.  And you have to have a $400 ticket to be included into it.

To embrace inclusion in our everyday lives, I don’t think we have to be radical at all.  I think we just need to be more patient with one another and understand that even if we don’t agree on something, that everyone is coming from somewhere.  Short of harmony, I think the best you can do is just try to understand how it is the other person got there, instead of tearing them down or dismissing their ideas.  I find that people are generally not ill-intentioned, they are simply scared of communicating, have adopted harmful (self-protective) behaviors, or under the grip of an ego.  And so are you.  And so am I.  So be nice to each other out there.  That is your responsibility.