 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.
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 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.  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.  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.  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  Happy Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is tricky this year. Everyone is making tough decisions about how and where to celebrate. It's a year when connecting virtually will be more important than ever. Our last post encouraged everyone to Be Kind-Rewind! Did anyone try it? I did. It was difficult. I tried to write cheerful messages to friends with different political perspectives and I kept getting stuck. Every attempt sounded trite or awkward or random or forced or just plain bizarre. And then I started thinking, what am I really trying to say? I'm trying to say, "Thank You" for being my friend... "Thank you" for being part of my family... "Thank you" for your contributions to the world... This is what I appreciate about you. And then I thought, "THANKSGIVING!" Suddenly, it made sense. Here's what I wrote... Happy Thanksgiving, ____________! This Thanksgiving, I just want to let you know that I’m very thankful for you. I’m thankful for the way you... I’m thankful for all of the times we.... I’m thankful for how you... I'm thankful for... I’m thankful for YOU. -------- Each message/email I sent started with this thank you format and then, at some point, I included something like this... -------- This Thanksgiving message was inspired by a Purple Living Room Project blog post: http://www.purplelivingroom.org/meet-in-the-middle-blog/be-kind-rewind You and I don't talk about politics much, but I get the feeling that we might have different opinions on some issues. In a year that has been so politically divisive, it feels important to come together and share what we appreciate about one another. Do you know anyone with a different perspective that you’d like to connect with this Thanksgiving weekend? You’re welcome to copy this message, adapt it, and send it forward. Thanks again for everything you bring to the world... Happy Thanksgiving! So that's what I've tried.
I've sent versions of this message out to several people in my life. It feels good to focus on gratitude and it's wonderful to connect with friends I haven't seen in a while. I'm planning to send many more of these "Thank You" messages over the coming Thanksgiving weekend. Do you want to give it a try? Consider making this message your own! Share it with your friends... let them know what makes you THANKFUL for their friendship. This Thanksgiving weekend, even though we need to stay socially-distanced and apart, let's take a few steps together and lift each other up. We can all be thankful for that kind of appreciation and support. Happy Thanksgiving! -Jen @ Purple Living Room  Happy World Kindness Day!
It's exactly the kind of day we need right now. We've elected a new president, but not everyone is ready to move on. While we wait for the legal challenges to play out, the name-calling online is getting even more toxic. (Who knew that was possible?) It seems like a good time to remember those stickers that used to be put on rental video tapes back in the day... "Be Kind, Rewind" Can we take a moment to rewind our relationships? Can we rewind back to a time before our political polarization reached this fever pitch? Before incendiary tweets? Before bitter facebook retorts? Before social media put a divisive spell on us? Here's an idea for World Kindness Day 2020... Can we check in with our friends and family who have different political opinions? Can we let them know we're thinking about them? Can we tell them why we value their friendships? Can we share with them what makes them unique and wonderful? Can we tell them that we care about them? Can we REWIND and BE KIND? Let's try it together! Let us know how it goes... Share your experiences with our Purple Living Room Project Facebook community here... We promise to keep the comments kind!  Independence Hall
is often called the Birthplace of America. The Declaration of Independence and The United States Constitution were debated... and debated... and debated... and eventually signed here. There were many different ideas about how to create this American Experiment. Vastly different ideas. Many loud voices. These voices came together to create one nation. E Pluribus Unum Out of Many, ONE The 2020 Election shows that we still have vastly different ideas about how our nation should be governed. Whatever happens in the coming days, as votes are counted and contested and recounted, let's remember that The American Experiment is in our hands now. How will we move forward together? E Pluribus Unum  Halloween 2020
finds our country in the middle of a particularly scary political season. There's plenty of fear to go around... Fear of COVID-19, Fear of economic uncertainty, Fear of climate change, Fear of election results, Fear of political unrest... Fear of each other. The impending presidential election is making many of us, along all parts of the political spectrum, anxious. It's easy to let ourselves spin out of control with worry. Let's not let ourselves get tangled up in each other's sticky social media webs of misinformation and insults and distrust. Let's try to keep our fears in check through this election week and then focus on weaving a different kind of political climate in the future together.  I went for a walk on the beach today at sunrise to clear my head. So much noise in the lead-up to the election... I was looking for a way to replace the buzz of the internet with a more natural sound. Along the coast, all I could hear was the reassuring rhythm of the waves. Crash, pause, crash, pause, crash, pause...  While I let the sound wash over me, my gaze turned to the ground...  Hearts everywhere! Some whole, some broken, some small, some large... All together in one beautiful carpet of green, punctuated by purple...  The purple flowers were all closed when I arrived at the beach, but as the sun rose, they gradually began to welcome a new day. Bit by bit, they opened to the warmth of the sun...  And then, as I watched and waited, I thought I saw a tiny bird... but then realized it was a giant bee. A sturdy beach bee dutifully pollinating the purple flowers. It had large wings to navigate the strong winds...  Can you find it? The bee was confident and undeterred... and successful. The stretch of green hearts and purple flowers up and and down the beach was a testament to its labor...  Here we are, friends...
Two weeks from the 2020 election. A nation of fragile hearts, punctuated with a few islands of purple thought. Whatever the outcome of this crazy election, we are going to need purple thinking to chart a path forward that will include all of the precious hearts in our nation. It takes persistent bees to keep pollinating purple thought in these challenging times, but we can do it. Buzz, buzz, buzz... |
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May 2020
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