Burning Man!

I always knew Dr. Seuss was a hippy. Preaching environmentalist views, constantly telling tales through song or rhyme schemes and eating “green” foods that would disgust any other being (green eggs and ham). I guess this is why Burning Man videographers decided to pay homage to the late tree-hugger by meshing together clips of the event’s attendees rehearsing lines from his last book “Oh the Places You’ll Go!”.

For those who don’t know, Burning man is an annual “festival” that takes place in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert (why Burning Man isn’t in Burmingham I will never understand). Tthose interested (and there are thousands) purchase tickets, drive out and join together in a very special kind of event, filled with spirit and creativity. Those who attend are mainly the artistic, whether revered or misunderstood they all go out eager for radical self-expression and to be a part of a community free of criticism and full of love for one another.

To be fair, these are not all hippies. Those who take pride in the word can see it as their gathering but those who don’t just see an opportunity to be free. Many who attend are professionals or just regular people. But for a full week they transform the Black Rock Desert into the Black Rock City with art they create themselves from all mediums, before packing up and leaving no trace of ever having been there. A week where you get to act like a whole new person or just get to act like yourself. It really is an experience and, as described in “Oh the Places You’ll Go!”, a place to find freedom and find yourself.