A question I have been asked is:
Why is the Gathering a festival of ideas and connection in the discomfort of outdoors!?
Why subject ourselves to the discomforts of sun, wind, dust and camping? Why not meet like “civilised” people in a nice hotel with hot showers, flushing toilets, TV and daily room service? Why not sit in a nice climate controlled room around a big table with a projector and screen? If we are to engage with ideas, why not go easy on our bodies so we can focus on the mind stuff? Isn’t it enough to go for a walk on the beach at sunset and connect with nature there?
Good question!
Again, as with the “why dancing” question, I feel this is the right way, but it has taken much thought, getting out to a seven day music festival and reading “Regenerative Leadership: The DNA of life-affirming 21st century organizations” to be able to answer this question rationally.
Regeneration is about healing the story of separation, including separation between man and nature. If we are in a hermetic room, with a thick layer of civilization convenience between us and nature, how can we heal this separation? How can we talk about creating a life in harmony with nature if we are not gathering in a place where our bare feet touch the ground? (For that matter, how can we create a new society in an environment where it wouldn’t be ok to go barefoot?!)
For those who have spent time in outdoor music festivals, or enjoy camping this is perhaps obvious, but when we are surrounded by trees, when we feel the sun on our face, we feel different, we sleep differently. The tiredness of the outdoors is different from the tiredness of the city, it holds peace and contentment not stress and anxiety.
At the same time an outdoor space is more open than a building dissected by walls into rooms and corridors. Outdoor spaces are more fluid, the in-between spaces are strong, yes we try to divide out spaces by creating shade and tents but without straight lines and hard walls these are much more in connection with the environment and allow for a more fluid movement and use than rectangular rooms. The strong nature spaces are inviting to sitting and talking, or just sitting and being with nature.
In nature we feel closer to our roots, calmer and more creative, from this mindspace that the regenerative mindset flows naturally and will support us in connecting and growing energy for action to heal the divides in our world.
We invite nature as a full-participant into our gathering, and ask it to inspire, guide and regenerate us.