What’s Burning in the Nevada Desert?
Homeland Security Lessons from #burningman
Every year thousands of eclectic individuals meet up in the Nevada desert at the Burning Man celebration. As the sun sets on the Black Rock Desert Saturday night, a band of revelers will pay tribute to a cultural and communal state of being through the ritual burning of the “man”. The lifestyle movement created by throngs of strangers that congregate together once a year during the week leading up to Labor Day is on full display. Burning Man describes itself as an annual experiment in temporary community dedicated to radical self-expression and radical self reliance. The event is spectacular and ventures far from the mainstream. The experience with its outrageous sights, sounds and activities provides the ultimate freedom of expression venue for its participants.
The event expects to draw more than 60,000 people to Black Rock City the temporary town that springs up each year on the playa. Why do they come to the remote desert where only heat, dust, and lizards thrive? They come to be a part of something bigger than themselves, they come to create, participate and survive. They come because the “community” needs them. Homeland security and its practitioners would be well served to establish this same drive to be a part of something bigger and to put the community at the forefront.
The creators of Burning Man officially recognize 10 principles that represent the ethos and culture that has grown out of the celebrations. The 10 principles provide an interesting comparison to needs within homeland security. Here are the principles as defined by Burningman.com:
Radical Inclusion — We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community.
Gifting — Burning Man is devoted to acts of gift giving. The value of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value.
Decommodification — Our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising.
Radical Self-reliance — Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources.
Radical Self-expression — Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others.
Communal Effort— Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction.
Civic Responsibility — We value civil society. Community members who organize events should assume responsibility for public welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants.
Leaving No Trace — Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather.
Participation — Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation.
Immediacy — Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. No idea can substitute for this experience.
As strange a spectacle as the Burning Man may seem, the principles behind the spectacle are all about community, innovation, and survival. These themes are exactly what is trying to be conveyed to support a more secure homeland. The National Preparedness Goal of building a more secure and resilient nation relies on the whole community approach. The call to support the community applies to those within the homeland security enterprise and to the greater community of all Americans. The need to create and be innovative is another call to serve. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is an agency with the US Department of Defense is an example of this desire to drive innovation and creativity. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)has an emergency preparedness campaign that advocates for being prepared by staying informed, building a kit, and making a plan to allow for survival in the event of a disaster.
The themes of a funky band of celebraters have something to offer from their version of utopia. What’s burning in the Nevada desert is a desire to be a more engaged community. The Burning Man might just offer some good ideas for homeland security — click here to watch the “burn” live Saturday at 9:00 pm PDT.
