People often seem surprised when the learn that I'm a "Burner." That I love trekking to the desert with tens of thousands of people who are not yet friends, fighting dust storms so thick they blind you, sweltering in heat that melts anything unprotected, being around so many people who are, or at least seem, totally crazy. "But you seem so normal," is what I often hear. Right. I am as normal as you are. Whatever that means.

In the course of building JUST CAUSE - both the web site and the magazine - I have tried on many roles. The "traditional" startup CEO. That fit okay - I can wheel and deal. The art loving hippie type. That works - I was raised that way. The ardent and opinionated activist. Check - that's who I am to my core. Like everyone, I am lots of things. I would like to be them openly.

A year ago, I posted a picture of myself at Burning Man, and was told by the person who was temporarily the CEO of this company that it was inappropriate and I needed to take it down. I did, but it felt wrong. He has since been replaced - by me - and I finally have the words to explain why it is not only appropriate to talk about Burning Man, but imperative that we all feel safe talking about who we are and why it matters. 

It has become a symbolic moment for me, rooted in being honest and open and truthful. Values I wish there were more of in this world. But we need to be more accepting of that which is unlike us before we can do that. 

Burning Man, for me, is the only time that the world around me looks like the world inside my head. And we all need that. For some it's being deep in the woods, for others going to space, painting, writing, dancing all night, farming, climbing rocks. But the world inside my head is one in which we are all free to look how we want, live how we want and love how we want. It is a world in which we  would harm neither each other nor the world around us.  I have a particularly colorful imagination, so purple fur chaps make total sense to me. I am happy there - and in my purple fur chaps. My soul needs it.

But more than that, Burning Man is a collection of relative strangers who understand how deeply connected they are to themselves and their environment. 

Behold the 10 principles of Burning Man, and how well they would work in the "real world:"

Radical Inclusion Anyone may be a part of Burning Man. 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 In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience.

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. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.

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. They must also assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance with local, state and federal laws.

Leaving No Trace Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them.

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. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart.

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.

Imagine how much better our world would be, every day, if we thought of those around us, took care of ourselves, lived in the moment, shared our gifts with others, didn't monetize and commoditize everything! 

Sure, I love the scantily and artistically clad people as much as the next person. I love having no concept of time. I love the incredible art (this really is the largest public art exhibit you will ever find - acres and acres of art that people have spent hundreds of thousands of hours and dollars to create!)

But it's the culture that I love.

As for the appropriateness of being seen in my Burner attire. It is appropriate. I love and am proud of my body, and I hope you are of yours too. I think that being comfortable in my skin will help those around me be comfortable in theirs. I think that we need to stop being afraid of bodies and expressions of both art and love, and if we released that fear and that judgment we would all be happier with ourselves and in our communities. 

But I'll settle, for now, for keeping my own little burn alive.

By the way, I'm not alone. And Burning Man has, I assure you, had more impact on your world than you know. That's why I put it on the cover of the current issue of JUST CAUSE Magazine, and had Phill and Kay write a massive article about how Burning Man is shaping the real world. It's an interesting read. There's only one photo on the site, but if you check out the Magazine version, (Starting September 1) you'll see lots of amazing photos.

Anyway, I'm missing it this year because I had to get the Sept issue out - a damned good reason to miss it! But it doesn't make me any less of a Burner, and it does make me even more committed to spreading the ideals here, with you, now. 

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JUST CAUSE Magazine is a bi-monthly magazine dedicated to the things we can all do to make the world a better place. It is a FREE subscription, and it is all digital so that we can reach millions of people without killing a single tree or using a single drop of gas to deliver it to you. Help us change the world by subscribing, and spreading the word.