| |  (photo by Daniel Boud)
From "In the Desert Of Desire; Las Vegas and the culture of spectacle" by William L. Fox
---"The greater the dissonance between perception and reality, the more extreme our cultural responses become in order to compensate. The Mojave Desert is one of the most arid places on the planet, and Las Vegas therefore a correspondingly strong presence within it. Between the open field of view presented to us by the desert and the exaggerated gestures we make in response to its foreign nature, we are provided an unparalleled opportunity to examine social behavior."---
... And I've been thinking about the events that led me to this place, trying to understand what dharmic forces still apply that would hold me here, when my original goal for this city has been fulfilled. And lately a surprising sentiment has been growing inside me:
Las Vegas is an energetic nexus, a focus of global culture, and may in the coming decades become an example of a truly free society.
Go ahead, laugh. I'll give you a couple of minutes.
Done? Okay. Here's what I mean. Deserts have been a sacred destination since the days of Myth. The Aboriginals of Australia go into the deep outback to practice their ancient ceremonies connecting them with the Dreamtime. Oedipus blinded himself and walked out into the sands to fulfill his destiny. Jesus of Nazareth wandered the dry wasteland for 40 days to empower his sacred purpose. Aladdin found his Genie in the desert. And of course we all have friends just barely returning home caked with playa dust, where they lived their dreams and turned fantasy into reality. The desert is where humanity goes to reach into its own subconscious and realize its dream. As with the Aborigines, so with Jesus. As with Burning Man, so with Vegas.
And it is impossible to deny the fact that Vegas is, in financial terms, a massive locus of economic activity. Easily the strongest local economy in the USA, and one of the hottest commercial zones on the planet, this little green spot in the desert flaunts its wealth with carefree abandon. In the driest spot on the Western Hemisphere, and fountains evaporate water into the air by an estimated 30 million gallons a day. Some may see this as wasteful, but there's another way to see it: Fearless. There is no consciousness of lack here, no self-limiting behavior born of a fear of Not Enough. The simple act of spending what you have becomes the prayer and magic spell on your road to receiving more. An active engine of manifestation is one of revolving energies going out as well as coming in. Gotta spend it to earn it, and this town definitely works that flow. Vegas is mutating the face of The American Dream, and The American Dream will always be exported to the rest of the world. Hence, for better and for wrose Vegas is a blueprint for 21st Century living. So whatever happens here, doesn't really stay here.
Lastly, this is a city not of Sins, but of Dreams. Funny that I tend to call it "City Of Dreams Come True", because I find the phrase "Sin City" to be just too gauche. This is the only place I know where a full-time juggler can buy his own home. With a pool. It's also the only place I know that any individual could become a millionaire just by pushing the right button at the right time. Creativity is rewarded here, when mixed with savvy business sense. This is the launching pad for a half-million matrimonies a year, and the only place I know where Elvis can officiate the wedding. And of course there is the over-the-top nature of the spectacle that is Las Vegas's backbone; Walking down The Strip is like walking into the magic land of Oz. And in fact, walking The Strip gives one the palpable feeling of Dreams Come True. Like the Peter Gabriel song says; "All of the buildings, all of the signs, were once just a dream, in somebody's head."
I fought against Vegas in my head, when I first arrived. Full of my own self-importance and judgemental, I was the classic example of a West-Coast Liberal, unable to see a thing for what it is because I was fixated on what it Should Be. But here I am four years (whew!) later, finally able to look past the mirage on its horizons and perceive the core of bizarre, shamanic, economic, creative, and chaotic potential this place is.
Not saying I'm staying here forever. No place can hold me forever. But now, I'm actually glad I'm here, to witness & co-create this incredible phenomenon while it lasts.
.... But yeah, the heat sux.
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| | Posted 9/13/2007 8:41 PM - 45 Views - 8 eProps - 5 comments
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