Your employees are people you work with every day, and how much do you really know about them? How many people do you have in your life that you call friends, but don't know that they're allergic to fish, and you invite them over for fish dinner on Sunday? I want to tell you about a moment in my life when I changed that, when the burning man changed that.
The people you see here worked closely together for over a year but never had a drink outside of the office; they knew nothing of each other outside of work. Years later, one of them had an extended stay in Bali, and the other, realizing they needed some excitement, jumped on a plane on a whim and joined them in Bali. It was the first time these two people had had a drink together, shared a moment, and yet after a week, they barely knew each other. In Bali, the traveler was invited to join the others' Burning Man camp, and that's where this photo was taken.
At that moment, the two finally got to know each other. They shared their life stories, the joys and the pains, and realized they had both gone through many similar experiences. It may have taken three years, but the two could finally call each other brothers and say it with the knowledge that they both knew each other. They talked about their losses and how they dealt with the pain, and when it was discovered that they were keeping things to themselves, they realized they were both doing it. It was one of the most important encounters of my life, and a year later, I still think about that conversation and that experience.
In the end, we both walked into the temple together and shared separate moments. I challenge you to find someone you consider a friend and really ask yourself how well you know them. Take a walk and get to know them better, and maybe you'll learn something about yourself you didn't know.
