by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Well, Sami, my contemplation of Burning Man continues. And in the midst of it, he burned. The problem was that he burned too early - he was supposed to be engulfed with flames on Saturday night - NOT Tuesday night! What a tragedy.

Wait a minute - was this really a tragedy? After all, it was a special Full Moon with a rare lunar eclipse. In much less spiritual circles, this would be considered an energy-enhancing opportunity of nature. Maybe it was also a sign, a message or at the very least, a serendipitous event. Maybe, just maybe, they could have ‘Let The Man Burn’ and shared the fateful moment with new perspective and a new story.

Instead, they hosed him down, wasting not only the moment, but the desert-precious water supply that went with it. I can’t help but be slightly befuddled and disillusioned by this decision. Will the “re-lighting” feel the same or will it lose some impact? I can’t answer that question first-hand, but I can neither deny the inexplicable sadness I felt at the watering down of the Poor Guy.

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