Frustrated by the divisiveness and the boundaries associated with political parties, I wrote a paper titled “Purple.”  If you mix red and blue, you get purple. We need to transition to an era of rational decision-making, reasonableness, and realistic solutions to our problems.   Furthermore, I learned in school that politics should be the last consideration in the rational decision-making process for problem-solving.  This means we need to elevate more science-related endeavors and keep politics for gut feel at the end of a rational decision-making process.  If our maps transitioned from red and blue to all Shades of purple, we would experience more unity of purpose.  During the 2000s, I also proposed the concept of purple and the unity of all colors of the rainbow, including all shades, representing the people and their unique diversity.   

I find myself increasingly compelled to address the pervasive divisiveness that characterizes much of our contemporary political discourse. The rigid borders and entrenched positions, often depicted by the stark opposition of red and blue, hinder our collective ability to tackle complex challenges effectively.

It is precisely this frustration that led me to articulate a philosophy I call “Purple.” Just as the mixing of red and blue pigments yields a new, integrated hue, so too can the blending of diverse perspectives forge a unified path forward. My long-held conviction is that we urgently need to transition towards an era defined by truly rational decision-making processes, reasonableness, and the pursuit of pragmatic, realistic solutions to the issues confronting us.

From a later stage in my formal education, I learned a crucial principle: politics, at its best, should represent the final layer of ethical and societal “gut feel” applied to an otherwise thoroughly rational problem-solving framework. This implies a significant reorientation of our priorities. We must elevate and amplify science-related endeavors, rational decision-making, data-driven analysis, geographic analysis, and expert consensus as the primary drivers of the formation of structure and function. Political considerations, while essential for articulating shared values and community aspirations, ought to enter the equation only after the science has been rigorously examined and understood as much as possible.

Envision a society where our civic landscapes are no longer fractured into partisan territories but instead display a rich tapestry of purple – a spectrum symbolizing a profound unity of purpose and a shared dedication to progress. This vision is not new for me; indeed, throughout the 2000s, I actively proposed a comprehensive idea advocating for the recognition and harmonious integration of all colors and shades, representing the full breadth of our diverse population. It is time we moved beyond the artificial boundaries that divide us and embraced a future built on common ground and intelligent cooperation.   Should purple represent our similarity foundation, and all the colors of the world represent our unique diversity?  Either way, we need to elevate rational decision-making and more scientific methods above politics as a priority. 

Richard Thomas Simmons