<![CDATA[The Purple Living Room Project - Meet in the MIDDLE Blog]]>

<![CDATA[The Purple Living Room Project - Meet in the MIDDLE Blog]]>Thu, 15 Aug 2024 11:24:20 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[TIME TO WAKE UP AND SHOUT!!!]]>Wed, 01 Jun 2022 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.purplelivingroom.org/meet-in-the-middle-blog/time-to-wake-up-and-shout

The Purple Living Room Project has been dormant for a l-o-n-g time.

This past year, I half-heartedly worked on a variety of posts, but I wasn't able to press "publish" on any of them.

Should I post an article about the tone of our discourse?
Nah...
Should I post an article about media consumption?
Blah...
Should I just post an article to close up this project at last?
Maybe...

I couldn't decide. I couldn't act.

Covid-era "Languishing" was in full swing.

In the end, I just stayed silent.

BUT

This past week has been a wake-up call.

Another wake-up call.

The wails of anguished parents in Texas heard round the world...

How many wake-up calls do we need?

We cannot afford silence...or apathy.

We MUST WAKE UP and ACT.

It's time to SHOUT AND SHOUT AND SHOUT!

I looked through my stack of posts waiting to be published and I found not one, not two, but SEVERAL posts focused on gun violence. Each one was written in the wake of a heinous and completely avoidable tragedy.

We repeat and repeat and repeat the same cycle and...
IT. HAS. TO. STOP.

I've been inspired this week by David Hogg's presence on Twitter. After surviving the Parkland tragedy, he has devoted the past four years to studying gun violence. He is doing an amazing job highlighting the concrete actions being taken right now by activists around the country to put pressure on our government to ACT. He is also laser-focused on dialoguing with Republican voters. After several solutions-centered exchanges with conservative gun owners in the past week, his optimistic message is...

"THIS TIME IS DIFFERENT."

Is that true?
Is it different?
Only if WE THE PEOPLE make it different.

March for Our Lives will be holding rallies across the country on Saturday, June 11.

Are you fed up and ready to shout?
FIND A MARCH!

No march planned in your area yet?
START A MARCH!

We need to
MARCH and MARCH and MARCH
and
SHOUT and SHOUT and SHOUT
until
FINALLY, FINALLY, FINALLY
something
CHANGES!

So, here I am. Awake again at last. Ready to talk and ready to walk and ready to do whatever needs to be done to keep our children safe at school, at home, in the malls, in the cinema, in the park...

To let our children be children once again.

Time to shout.

]]><![CDATA[The Path Forward]]>Sat, 31 Jul 2021 09:03:21 GMThttp://www.purplelivingroom.org/meet-in-the-middle-blog/the-path-forward

Republican Congresswoman
Liz Cheney
asked these important questions
in her opening remarks when the
U.S. House Select Committee
to Investigate
the January 6th Attack on the
United States Capitol
convened earlier this week.

We certainly hope
the answers are...
YES! NO! NO!
Yet, increasingly,
it feels like
there is no way
to be certain.

This process of making sure the events
of January 6th are fully understood
is an important step on our path forward.

The peaceful transition of power
is a hallmark of our democracy.

Let's keep it that way.

It's up to all of us to place
our country and our Constitution
over partisan politics
as we walk this bumpy path
into the future together.

]]><![CDATA[Fueled By Empathy]]>Tue, 01 Jun 2021 06:30:32 GMThttp://www.purplelivingroom.org/meet-in-the-middle-blog/fueled-by-empathy

President Biden delivered
a poignant speech
at Arlington National Cemetery
today to mark the
153rd National Observance
of Memorial Day.

He spoke about empathy...

"Empathy is the fuel of democracy."

The FUEL of DEMOCRACY.

Our democracy can only function well
when we are focused
on each understanding one another.

There are plenty of challenges in front of us.

This Memorial Day.
let's pause to remember
those who have made
the ultimate sacrifice
for our Democracy

AND

Let's pledge to do better.

Let's keep the fire of
DEMOCRACY
burning with the
fuel of
EMPATHY.

]]><![CDATA[Let Us Begin...Again]]>Fri, 30 Apr 2021 12:03:21 GMThttp://www.purplelivingroom.org/meet-in-the-middle-blog/let-us-beginagain

President Kennedy's
words at the end
of his 1961
inaugural speech
capture the
pace of change
in politics.

Progress is often
incremental.
Sometimes the
movement is
g l a c i a l.
Very rarely,
change comes
quickly,
like an
avalanche.

At the end
of his first
100 Days
in office,
President Biden
addressed Congress
this week and
outlined his vision
for a path forward.

It's a BOLD vision,
based on the
notion that
We the People
can support
one another
in times of crisis
and work together
to rebuild America.

It's BIG vision
that aims to make
changes quickly
that will strengthen
both our economy
and the fabric
of our social structures.

It's a vision
that can only
succeed with
bipartisan
compromise
and
support.

It takes the
slow and steady
work of listening
and
perspective-taking
to move forward,
one step at a time.

Are you ready?

Let's begin.
Again.

Let's continue to
look for the
purple.

]]><![CDATA[We will Listen Here and There...]]>Wed, 17 Mar 2021 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.purplelivingroom.org/meet-in-the-middle-blog/march-06th-2021

Dr. Seuss
has been in the headlines
this month.

Dr. Seuss Enterprises
will stop publishing six titles because,
according to their statement,
"These books portray people
in ways that are hurtful and wrong."

They've made a business choice
that is consistent with their values.

Nobody is cancelling Dr. Seuss.

Let's stop the divisive rhetoric
and take a page from their book.

Their stated mission is to
support children and families with
"messages of hope,
inspiration,
inclusion,
and friendship."

The tonic we need,
Let's follow their lead...

We WILL listen in our rooms,
and we WILL listen in our zooms
We WILL listen here and there...
We will LISTEN
EVERYWHERE!

]]><![CDATA[Presidential Wisdom]]>Mon, 15 Feb 2021 14:07:41 GMThttp://www.purplelivingroom.org/meet-in-the-middle-blog/presidential-wisdom8966265

This Presidents' Day,
let's seek a little wisdom
from our first president.
Have you ever read
George Washington's
Farewell Address
to the nation?
Take a moment to look at this
particularly prescient passage...

I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the State,
with particular reference to the founding of them
on geographical discriminations.
Let me now take a more comprehensive view,
and warn you in the most solemn manner
against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally.
This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature,
having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind.
It exists under different shapes in all governments,
more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed;
but, in those of the popular form,
it is seen in its greatest rankness,
and is truly their worst enemy.
The alternate domination of one faction over another,
sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension,
which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities,
is itself a frightful despotism.
But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism.
The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men
to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual;
and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction,
more able or more fortunate than his competitors,
turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation,
on the ruins of public liberty.
Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind
(which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight),
the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party
are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a
wise people to discourage and restrain it.
It serves always to distract the public councils
and enfeeble the public administration.
It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms,
kindles the animosity of one part against another,
foments occasionally riot and insurrection.
It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption,
which finds a facilitated access to the government itself
through the channels of party passions.
Thus the policy and the will of one country
are subjected to the policy and will of another.
There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the government and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty.
This within certain limits is probably true;
and in governments of a monarchical cast,
patriotism may look with indulgence,
if not with favor, upon the spirit of party.
But in those of the popular character,
in governments purely elective,
it is a spirit not to be encouraged.
From their natural tendency,
it is certain there will always be
enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose.
And there being constant danger of excess,
the effort ought to be by force of public opinion,
to mitigate and assuage it.
A fire not to be quenched,
it demands a uniform vigilance
to prevent its bursting into a flame,
lest, instead of warming,
it should consume.

Written in 1796,
but it rings true today....

spirit of revenge
false alarms
animosity
riot
insurrection
foreign influence
corruption

These are all buzz words
from our recent news cycles.

President Washington warned us.

It's our job,
as citizens,
to ensure that
our democracy
is not consumed
by the fire of
political passions.

It's a big job.

Let's get back to work.

]]><![CDATA[America United?]]>Wed, 20 Jan 2021 13:23:20 GMThttp://www.purplelivingroom.org/meet-in-the-middle-blog/america-united

Can you hear the exhale?

The collective sigh of
relief
across our nation?

Since the unrest
at the capitol,
we've all been
holding our breath,
waiting for the
peaceful
transfer of power.

Just like that,
It happened.
Peacefully.

Air Force One delivered
President Trump to Florida.

Joe Biden was sworn in
as our 46th President.

Kamala Harris made history
becoming Vice President.

A peaceful transition of power.

The world spins on,
and the difficult,
often frustrating,
work of
democracy
continues.

This important
work is
ours.
It belongs to
all of us.

A major theme of
this week was
AMERICA UNITED.

Many of the
events of this week
highlighted
our common history,
our common challenges,
and our common purpose
as a nation.

As President Biden said
in his inauguration speech,

"The American story
depends
not on any one of us,
not on some of us,
but on ALL of us.
On we the people
who seek a
more perfect union."

We have an
opportunity
to reset,
to work
together
to continue creating
a more perfect union.

It's time to write
the next chapter
in our nation's story.

Could we call it,
America United?

Let's try...
It's up to ALL of us.

]]><![CDATA[The Stormy Present]]>Wed, 13 Jan 2021 14:08:02 GMThttp://www.purplelivingroom.org/meet-in-the-middle-blog/the-stormy-present

President Lincoln's words
from 1862 certainly resonate today.

"The dogmas of the quiet past
are inadequate to the stormy present."

We are currently swept up
in the storms of the present.

Last week's assault
on the capitol leaves
our nation's collective
hearts broken
and our heads reeling.

"...We must think anew,
and act anew."

We need action.

We need answers.

We need accountability.

And then
we need to work together
to create a path out of this morass.

"We can only succeed by concert.
It is not, "Can we imagine any better?'
but "Can we all do better?"

We need to heed Lincoln's words.

Our nation depends on us.

]]><![CDATA[New Year, New Us?]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2021 15:07:35 GMThttp://www.purplelivingroom.org/meet-in-the-middle-blog/new-year-new-us

Happy New Year!
2021
It's here at last!

January always feels
like a fresh start.

A blank page
waiting to be filled.

What will we do
with this new beginning?

Here are three resolutions
to guide our purple work
in the new year...

Resolution # 1
LISTEN
Let's resolve to listen
to each other.
2020 brought
an election year
where the discourse
volume was
turned on HIGH.
Let's take a moment to
lower the volume
so we can actually
hear one another.
Let's continue to seek out
different perspectives
with the goal of
listening mindfully,
building empathy
and finding
common ground.

Resolution # 2
CARE
Let's resolve to care deeply
for one another.
2020 has left many
feeling fragile or broken.
Let's be kind with
our words and our actions.
Let's look for ways
to be a part of the
healing that our
nation desperately needs.

Resolution # 3
CONNECT
Let's resolve to connect
with others.
COVID-19 has left many
feeling isolated and alone.
Let's look for ways to
connect with
our friends,
our family,
our neighbors.
Let's also find ways to connect
with new people
and with different voices.
Let's work to forge
new connections
and build new bridges
in our community.

Finally,
let's remember that
each moment in
2021
is a new
opportunity
to
think purple
and to
act purple.

2021...

It's a new year.
A new beginning.

Can we imagine a new US?
A purple US?

Let's try together.

]]><![CDATA[Holiday Sing-ALong!]]>Fri, 25 Dec 2020 16:40:24 GMThttp://www.purplelivingroom.org/meet-in-the-middle-blog/holiday-sing-along

Wishing you a joyous holiday season!

It's time for our annual purple holiday sing-along...

Deck the Halls with Points of Purple,

Fa La La La La,
La La La La!

Find a view that's universal!

Fa La La La La,
La La La La!

Don we now our listening ears,

Fa La La La La,
La La La La!

Help the discord disappear!

Fa La La La La,
La La La La!

Happy Holidays!

-The Purple Living Room Project

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