The Rainbow Agenda, Part III
In The Rainbow Agenda, Parts I and II, we discussed how the rainbow
is an appropriate symbol for the suicidal delusion our society appears to be
following. In Part III, we will consider the rainbow in a different way and find within it the
basis for a superior model and vision for society.
Typically, a rainbow is comprised of the full spectrum of colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Each of these colors has meaning in our culture. If we don't want to embrace the entire rainbow, perhaps we can select those colors which are associated with the best parts of society. Since the primary colors can be combined to form the secondary colors, let us consider these first. In the end, perhaps we will choose to combine the preferred primary colors and settle on a 'secondary' color.
Let us first consider the color red. What comes to mind? Fire. Bloodshed. Stop. Emergency. Red is the color of energy that is out of control and destructive. Let's leave red. (But let's also note that the far left has often been associated with red, eg. China and the USSR. Even in the U.S., before the 2000 presidential election, map makers generally used red to indicate states viewed as leaning toward the Democratic Party.)
Now let's consider yellow. Immediately, the sun comes to mind. What is the sun? The sun is a source of heat and light, making our planet habitable. In truth, the sun is so hot it would incinerate us, and so bright it would blind us, if it were not so far away. Thus, the sun represents energy which is bounded and thus harnessed constructively to support life. At the same time, heat and light are quite ephemeral, changing between day and night, and throughout the year. Also note that yellow is also the symbol for caution; again, a sense of boundary.
Finally, we get to blue. Blue calls to mind the sky and the oceans - calm, stable, seemingly infinite and eternal. They also suggest boundaries, as the sky surrounds the earth and the oceans surround the land. Blue is also associated with cold, with freezing, and with death.
No one color of the three primary colors is perfect, but yellow and blue seem to complement each other very well. The worst aspects of blue - cold and death, are countered by the warmth and life-giving nature of yellow. Yellow, we said, is safe because it is bounded (as the sun is at a distance from the earth). Blue represents that boundary. Yellow provides energy, but it waxes and wanes - blue represents stability.
Combining yellow and blue, we get green of course. Green is the color of life, of vibrancy. It's been adopted to represent 'sustainability'. These are exactly the meanings we were looking for. Our movement is about life, about vibrancy, and the values and institutions that make society sustainable. This is why our logo is called the 'Green Stripes'.
Typically, a rainbow is comprised of the full spectrum of colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Each of these colors has meaning in our culture. If we don't want to embrace the entire rainbow, perhaps we can select those colors which are associated with the best parts of society. Since the primary colors can be combined to form the secondary colors, let us consider these first. In the end, perhaps we will choose to combine the preferred primary colors and settle on a 'secondary' color.
Let us first consider the color red. What comes to mind? Fire. Bloodshed. Stop. Emergency. Red is the color of energy that is out of control and destructive. Let's leave red. (But let's also note that the far left has often been associated with red, eg. China and the USSR. Even in the U.S., before the 2000 presidential election, map makers generally used red to indicate states viewed as leaning toward the Democratic Party.)
Now let's consider yellow. Immediately, the sun comes to mind. What is the sun? The sun is a source of heat and light, making our planet habitable. In truth, the sun is so hot it would incinerate us, and so bright it would blind us, if it were not so far away. Thus, the sun represents energy which is bounded and thus harnessed constructively to support life. At the same time, heat and light are quite ephemeral, changing between day and night, and throughout the year. Also note that yellow is also the symbol for caution; again, a sense of boundary.
Finally, we get to blue. Blue calls to mind the sky and the oceans - calm, stable, seemingly infinite and eternal. They also suggest boundaries, as the sky surrounds the earth and the oceans surround the land. Blue is also associated with cold, with freezing, and with death.
No one color of the three primary colors is perfect, but yellow and blue seem to complement each other very well. The worst aspects of blue - cold and death, are countered by the warmth and life-giving nature of yellow. Yellow, we said, is safe because it is bounded (as the sun is at a distance from the earth). Blue represents that boundary. Yellow provides energy, but it waxes and wanes - blue represents stability.
Combining yellow and blue, we get green of course. Green is the color of life, of vibrancy. It's been adopted to represent 'sustainability'. These are exactly the meanings we were looking for. Our movement is about life, about vibrancy, and the values and institutions that make society sustainable. This is why our logo is called the 'Green Stripes'.