Purplevision! It started as a nickname and became a movement.
Well ok, there is no movement but it would be cool if there was. It would be even cooler if people sent me money just for writing. (I may not be a politician, but I can be bought…)
Purplevision began as a blog but it has become a hobby.
So why blog?
The problem is that I read a lot and when I read, I often think a) I’d like to hang onto this article and/or b) I’d like to talk with so-and-so about this article.
At first I just clipped articles from the newspaper and emailed people about them. Unfortunately the articles just kept piling up around the house and it wasn’t easy to share them so I went looking for a better solution.
Which is when I found blogging. I had heard about blogging for a while and when I tried, I realized it was a good solution for my needs. I could post and article and add my own comments without the need for spamming people.
Blogging is still a lot of work for me but it allows me to share ideas with friends far and wide and it keeps a historical record of my foolish opinions which I can look back on in the future. (Remember that awesome haircut you had in high school? Hindsight and age are always humbling.)
After this blog was going for a while I realized that it also gave me a vehicle for writing. I have always enjoyed writing but whether one writes well or poorly, the act of writing itself helps one organize and refine their thoughts. Something most of us would benefit from.
Purplevision?
After deciding to start a blog, I realized that I felt a little silly putting my own name out there for all to see. I know it is branding 101 but it seemed a little vain to me at the time. Moreover there were already plenty of personal blogs and I wanted to write about issues and news not about myself or my family.
Moreover I wanted the blog to be a bit of fun so I wanted something funny or at least odd. We're all going to die of bird flu anyway so why not lighten up a bit, right?
In a previous life, I got the nickname of “purple” for wearing a purple Patagonia fleece. Purple is a good nickname because it gets people thinking: “Purple? What is that about?” At the time I started to think of my writing as purple's vision or "purplevision."
Another reason I liked “purplevision” is that it was an empty vessel. No one would come to the website with any pre-existing associations about what a purplevision stood for and that would allow me to brand my blog while keeping a wide focus. A good thing since my interests (and opinions) are rather diverse.
Thus Purplevision was born.
what is Purplevision supposed to mean?
Once I had the name, I was still searching for a focus for the blog. The actual topics I write about have continued to evolve but I wondered if there was some overarching principle that Purplevision could stand for?
As I thought about it, I concluded that my blog was really an extension of my own curiosity about the world and my personal drive for understanding and dialog.
Don't see this everyday. Or do you??
Have you heard the Buddhist parable about the blind men and the elephant? (No, I didn't know it was Buddhist either.) This parable is the story where blind men touch different parts of an elephant and then argue about what an elephant looks like.
That parable really captures how I feel about the world today. We all live on the same planet, yet we see it so differently. Some of that is due to ignorance, intolerance and emotions like anger and pain but the majority of the confusion reflects the complexity of the world we live in.
Whether you are talking about nature or the economy, we live in an insanely complex system where cause and effect are often impossible to prove and the best we can do is make educated guesses with what we know.
The elephant metaphor is what I want Purplevision to stand for. Points of information and (hopefully) insight that help people see the elephant more clearly. Issues and ideas that foster dialog and understanding.
And there you have it.
