Daniel Negreanu nearly went to Burning Man in 2015 but backed out at the last minute. He is happy with his decision. Lee Davy provides nine reasons why he thinks he made a mistake.
I didn’t want to go to Burning Man.
I only went to make my wife happy.
I was worried about the dust, where to take a shit, and how to exist in a world where everyone except I was high on drugs.
So, when I read Daniel Negreanu’s 2015 Goals Review, and learned how he bailed out at the last minute, I felt a need to create a list of reasons why I think that decision lessened his life experience without him even knowing.
Here are my nine reasons Daniel Negreanu should go to Burning Man in 2016.
1# Scarcity
Daniel made a total profit of $969,354 playing live poker tournaments in 2015. His total profit in the past three years is $10,061,058. While I don’t have the benefit of experiencing how Daniel lives, I can take a hopeful punt that, he doesn’t suffer from a lack of material comfort.
The way most people experience Burning Man is the total opposite. On my way to the desert, I bumped into a 19-year old kid from Canada, who hitchhiked the whole way with nothing except a small rucksack and a skateboard.
As long as Daniel doesn’t hire a private chef and drive into the site in the world’s most expensive RV, Burning Man could give him a reminder of what it’s like to experience life on a shoestring. There is a lot of value in that.
2# Vulnerability
Daniel Negreanu is one of the most open people that I have ever met. He has no problem sharing his vulnerability. Burning Man takes this experience to a whole new level.
One day while escaping a dust storm on a battered couch a few of us played a game. We had a book of questions. Each person would select one at random. A girl seated to the left of me, dressed as a dinosaur, and carrying a plastic dinosaur on a string, picked the question: “Who would you like to take revenge on the most.”
“The man who raped me.” She said.
3# To Share
When you are sitting next to a woman who shares something like that, most people don’t know what to say. Daniel Negreanu does. He is a very skilled communicator. He holds space when required. He seeks permission when giving advice. He could share this experience at Burning Man.
4# Self-Sufficiency
Following Daniel on social media, I sense he has a few key people who take care of certain things in his life. I think this makes perfect sense, and if money were no object, I would do the same thing so that I could focus on the most important areas of my life.
There is a risk, though.
You could lose the ability to become self-sufficient.
Burning Man is the ultimate place for self-sufficiency. The sharing concept means you are never no more than a tent away from anything you need. However, you enter with the view that only you can take care of you. It’s especially important when surrounded by people high on drugs.
4# Community
Daniel has said on more than one occasion that he prefers solitude over company. At Burning Man, you get to experience the true nature of a community. There is something truly magical about falling in love with like minded people. I can’t think of anywhere else in the world where the odds of this happening are so high.
5# Creativity
There is a quiet sense of meaning and purpose buried in every grain of Burning Man sand. They talk to you. Your senses sizzle. You feel the need to do something different. It challenges your existence.
Out of all of this feeling comes an incredible urge to be creative. I feel the poker environment dampens creativity, and Burning Man is the perfect outlet for Daniel to get recharged.
6# Love
I believe love and having a family ranks high on Daniel’s list of goals. People are fake. It’s one of the reasons divorce rates are so high. It takes you that long to peel away the mask. The authenticity of Burning Man increases the chances that you will fall in love with what you see. There are no masks. It’s a great place to fall in love.
7# Learning
You don’t go to the Choice Centre unless you are interested in the growth of human potential. I learned so much when I was at Burning Man. I would wake up and spend most of my days sitting in classes learning about life free of the stresses and strains of that very thing.
8# Media Blackout
Daniel is a man who has his finger on the pulse of current developments in the world. Michael Beckwith once told me that you can keep up to date with terrorism, global poverty and all the other horror stories of the world, but you don’t have to be interested in them.
There are no TV’s in Burning Man. There are no laptops. There is no news. It’s the world within a world. There is silence. Jump on your bike and ride into a dust storm. Get interested in that.
9# Leading
I get the impression that Daniel Negreanu would be a great leader. Burning Man camps need leaders. It’s an opportunity to grow in this area. There are so many tears, so many tales, and one or two tantrums. People like Daniel are necessary for the Burning Man ecosystem. It’s not a one-way street either. You leave much stronger from having arrived.
There are my nine reasons why Daniel Negreanu should go to Burning Man, what are yours?
