By Amethyst

When we started Camp Gemstone, we were awash in Buddhist thought and lofty ideals. Just take a look at our five principals: “Immediacy. Community. Contemplation. Discovery. Beauty.” The aim was to (and here’s where it gets a bit murky) share what we learned about life as we embarked on our Great Adventure. If we did that, we could help others find their dreams.

But the truth is that we often don’t know what the hell we’re doing. Sharing only what we’re confident about makes it seem like we’re confident about a lot, which we are definitely not. Life has been really hard. And those five principals? They are important in our lives, but they aren’t the only rallying cries of Camp Gemstone. We do other stuff, too. And the most important one, community, sits there unassumingly, unobtrusively, unnoticed.

The most important thing is connection, and we aren’t doing it. I’ll admit it: I am afraid to post my struggles. I’m afraid of what people will think. I’m afraid of what my parents will think. But the result of those fears is that you, my friend, get these occasional colorful philosophical snapshots, but no one grows, is vulnerable, or connects.

We are definitely neither Puritans nor saints, but that’s all you see on here. Well, we are going to try to change that. Rather than the structured, sequential, thoroughly drafted pieces about Lessons, we are going to try to write about Real Shit.

A new tagline is in order. Community is the most important, so let’s put that up front. And how about we drop these periods? A little pretentious, no? We also need to keep Immediacy. The shoutout to Burning Man needs to stay, and the push for Right Now really does pervade our lives. What else does? We’re not trying to be monks here, not really. Pleasure in all its wonderful forms, there’s a goal Buddha probably would take issue with. How about this?

Embracing a life of community, immediacy, and authenticity by sharing our pleasure and our pain, our adventures and our failures.

Creative friends, will you help? What else do you think we can do? What do you like or dislike? Do you have ideas for Camp Gemstone events?