For those of you who aren't familiar with the Rainbow, wikipedia has a pretty good explanation. But it is basically a gathering of a bunch of hippies who espouse the values of peace and love. The festival itself includes a lot of dancing and singing, cooking, and sleeping under the stars. I haven't actually slept outside here yet, and sleeping in a rocky and sandy desert is in itself an experience. Not only is the ground incredibly hard, but the sun rises really early here. There was little hope of sleeping in. The Baba didn't help much. He was a crazy German man who started yelling some pretty inappropriate things early in the morning. And voices carry out there.
There were obviously no toilets, so we had everywhere and nowhere to do our business. Needless to say, there aren't many trees or much privacy, so it was kind of just finding as private an area as possible and making do.
It seemed that having dreadlocks or a shaved head, going topless (for both men and women), and smoking was a prerequisite for being part of the "family." It was actually really nice to be somewhere that people felt so comfortable with their bodies, but it took some getting used to. There was definitely a celebratory feeling and a sense of sharing among everyone that was also really wonderful.
We didn't get to our zula (camp site area) until after dark, so I didn't have a good sense for where I was. And right as we were getting there, the food circle was called, so we headed for dinner and afterwards we sang and danced for hours. It was really windy until around 10 or 11, but then it became quite still and peaceful.
The next day a few of us helped prepare lunch. I cut carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, and squeezed lemons for 2-3 hours. We made sooo much food! It was really fun to sit around with about 20 other people chopping and talking, listening to the music that was around. There was a point at which the Torah was taken out and people were able to make an aliyah for the holiday. And of course there was more singing and dancing.
I felt so disgusting by the afternoon - sitting by the fire, sleeping in the sand, cooking all day, and sweating from the hot sun - that I was so glad to get home and take a shower. It really made me think about the luxuries that we consider basic amenities (did I mention there was no toilet?) and how I have to be in the right mindset to enjoy living that way. I also thought a lot about the values that the Rainbow Gathering family seeks to live out, including peace. But I was really troubled by the fact that they were doing anything. Yeah, it's great to say that you want peace in the world and to object to capitalism and the Man, but what are they doing about it? I shouldn't be so critical and perhaps I should just accept it for what it is, but what is the point and purpose?
Now I'm back in the real world and I get to be depressed by issues like climate change and how effectively we're destroying our environment, not to mention the Isreali-Palestinian conflict and our efforts to learn to live together. And even though I have that feeling of dread that creeps up whenever I am in school, it's also kind of comforting to know that I am trying to do something meaningful for myself and ultimately for society.
Until next time,
M
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