Purple-ing

In all honesty this idea is a train of thought several people started with on a friend's Facebook page.

During the election cycle, beginning in the primaries even, we hear so much of red states and blue states that we seem to be living in some alternate Seusian-nation.

As youth ministers, we are well versed in the "No Purple-ing Rule." It seems our nation's politics, commentary, and government is too. For us in the youth ministry realm, we use this to refer to the idea that boys are blue and girls are red and there is no mixing of the two in rooms, or other 'unsuitable' behavior at whatever event we happen to be involved with at that time.

In politics, government and commentary these days, we seem to want to preserve the same separation  However, just as we pull together the feminine and masculine identities, perspectives, and values to have holistic  engaging, effective events and ministries, so to do we need to pull together the red and the blue in order to have a holistic, engaging, effective government.

So perhaps we can set aside our victory dances or tears of loss. Perhaps we can focus on what has to get done in this country for all the "uns" that Cardinal Dolan so eloquently brought to light at the Al Smith Dinner. Perhaps we can focus on effective help for the victims of Sandy and even more effective preparations for any future natural disasters. Perhaps we can focus on all the things we have in common instead of picking apart all the things we disagree on.

Because maybe, just maybe, we could do great things with just a little more purple-ing.