Cherishism is an ecopolitical alternative to anthropocentrism for Life on Earth and future generations.

Cherishism is not limited to, nor bound by, what I say. The following is the basis for further discussion. This is paramount. All need to feel empowered and local human and teresapien diversity embraced and expressed politically through each bioregion.

Key Words

Cherishism an ecological political system.

Fluminism the interconnected narrative of universe, flow to and from all dimensions, a powerful form of love.

Floloca perceiving ‘place as flowing’, not simply as human, but conscious imagination along the dynamic matrix of life and death, and at a spectrum of scales.

Hubrigenesis the evolutionary aftermath of the biospheric violence of the Anthropocene.

Kinnage a new kind of human/non-human community living. Where nature and fluminism is paramount, ourselves being just a part of the whole.

Kinnaria wild places in and around cities, urban areas and kinnages. To replace ‘Green Space,’ with awildian love and meaning.

Locacede to withdraw from a place, to directly decolonise humans from an ecological system. A replacement for ‘decolonization.’

Nagorasphere the phenomenon of ‘exchange’ in nature, as a significant part of the biosphere.

Symlings colloquial name for holobiont/s.

Teresapien a positive word to use instead of ‘non-human.’

Transilience Gap  biodiversity declines and climate changes may require more radical solutions before many people are ‘ready’ to take the risk. There is a gap or a deficit.

Traumundi the trauma of the collective living Earth caused by climate and ecological shock.

Vitanance being right in itself, stemming from diversity, proliferation and of the complexity of all life. As opposed to human dominion being wrong.

Welldoing Dasein daily acts towards wellbeing for the good of all life.

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Aims

The aim of Cherishism is human universal care for living beings  ~ Vitanance ~ and the end of Traumundi.

All beings, bionts or symlings, depending on their diverse needs, and in interconnected flows (Fluminism), including in the nagorasphere, are cared for in the best ways possible.

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Why

Socialism and ecosocialism, as words with meaning, are founded on a lack of intimacy. The origins of the word social are mere physical relationships between humans such as marriage and allies, stemming from PIE “sekw” ~ to follow. There is a general fear of using any terms that amount to love in its spectrum of emotional forms, expressions and intimacy of care. I want to end that fear, directly or indirectly cultivated largely by men such as Smith, Marx, Bookchin, Kovel and Löwy. The Earth’s biosphere and all its interconnected lifeforms require of us to bring cherishing central to daily life.

As in ecosocialism, Cherishism is NOT any form of capitalist system, a machine that has been the fuel and energy for the suffocating fires of social exclusion, inequality and biospheric degradation through anthropocentric globalisation and imperialism/colonialism. Neither is it commodified emotion or acts in cash value. There should be no North/South divide. Equity and justice are intrinsic.

 

Integral functioning

Cherishism offers use and exchange value, but critically and centrally, ‘gift’ value, through human skill and relationship, as in the ways of nature. It is a system of generosity, compassion, creativity, love and meaning.

Each human community within any given floloca does have the ability to exchange non-living elements with others, also to include seeds (though they are between life and death), but only produced in natural excess to the needs of their own floloca.

Wellbeing is the consequence, and ultimate value, choice remaining essential to provide personal and collective empowerment. In this way, every living being (all life) is fundamentally of worth. Critically, human children are nurtured with great love, because we know that distress in childhood has immense negative consequences throughout life. Distress and fear, generally, is the root of so much ecological damage through fierce competition. Now is the time to end that regime and bring in a new, loving way of life.

Technological knowledge, research and development, energy, and creativity is centred on caring. Thus, health (human or otherwise), and communications is where skill-vestment is a cultural premium and widely celebrated.

There are no cities as we understand them now, but Kinnages and wilder Kinnarias, adaptable to changing climate and fore-wilding. This is an effort to close the Transiliance Gap and lessen the impact of hubrigenesis in the Anthropocene towards the Symbiocene. Land is commons, not limited to humans but small zones of privacy are afforded to all. Locacede and space efficiency is valued, rather than expansive development.

Fluminescent food (eg permaculature), is ultimately a collective good, grown locally in public and private spaces and local to all. Pollution (land, air, water), is one of the most serious crimes.

Cherishism has elements of green anarchy and mutual aid, in that personal and collective Responsibility is the Right, not Right in itself, and localism is key. At the root, all life is of worth via the protection of life-promoting existence (Praximund). True liberty is fore-established, in that it is limited to the point just before causing harm to others.

Freedom of movement is natural, though cultivating and nurturing a sense of adopted endemism is a natural consequence of Cherishism. As in some indigenous cultures, all people (and wildlife) are welcome to a central whare rūnanga-like meeting place called a Cherish of their own ecological design with permaculture-like grounds. This is a place of beauty and knowledge exchange on best fluministic practice. It is a place of information, support and love. Its mere existence is educational and caring, whilst acting like pioneer seed nurseries, fore-newing life systems in local communities/flolocas. Communal meals are common.

Most community activity is shaped by voluntary altruism since economic fears have been minimised by the devaluation of currency and the housing market (monetary transactions are rare to none). Everyone has a home. Everyone has access to basic life-sustaining needs, such as good organic fresh food, and forces for good (nature). Everyone has access to care. Communal living and shared housing are the norm (yet privacy is still afforded/designed for all).

Democracy is re-shaped for each human specialism to be able to elect people onto working ethics panels from all other specialisms in any given kinnage, kinnaria or floloca.

Cherishism is likened to a healthy flowing river full of life-love, joining the global ocean of existence. Each tributary that joins to create the river is vital.

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Tributary One ~ Moral worth

Every living being is of moral worth afforded by fundamental protection of their function in bioregional flolocas, save for NEED not want. Abundance and diversity are fundamental, and the processes that lead to both must be guarded well (Praximund – laws).

Plant or animal life scientifically and ethically judged as needed as opposed to wanted by humans, therefore killed, will be agreed with the advice of local Cherishers (who understand local ecologies), and are not conflicted in any way.

Tributary Two ~ Wellbeing and Welldoing

ONE HEALTH is standard (human and ecological wellbeing are symbiotic and inseparable). Wellbeing is accessible to all, free at the point of contact. Health professionals and support workers are critical carers (for humans and teresapiens), so we look after them. Healthy organic food and clean water are key, so we look after those workers too. Children are allocated most attention in sustained nurturing and compassion. Welldoing is the act of nurturing wellbeing, and is itself a form of wellbeing. Fit bodies, fit minds. Strong connections in flows. We are all part of nature.

Anyone who demonstrates their creativity and skills promote wellbeing for all life is valued. Arts, design, music and culture are celebrated and supported, enriching human life and accounting for healthy ecologies/flolocas.

Carers and facilitators of basic life function are cherished.

Tributary Three ~ Shared Best Understanding

Ecoliteracy, Earth systems, and fluminism (all processes to proliferate ecological abundance and diversity, whilst flourishing) are taught freely to every human, and from a young age.

Teachers and childcarers are critical carers, so we look after them.

Best science is crucial, freely available after peer review, and must be supported. Evidence-base is a necessity, though ethics applied to consider the direction in terms of planetary wellbeing.

Indigenous understanding will be of equal standing, but volunteered not appropriated. All efforts are channelled towards the overall aims of Cherishism.

Tributary Four ~ Free, Elected Ethics Panels

Ethics panels have an elected, public, democratic role, and open, transparent training (see teachers), is provided to those appointed from all sectors to guide and enlighten, like a jury when introduced to the court system.

Each member from each general sector in human life can only serve for one term to be agreed by all, with key attention given to the needs of the floloca, children, the vulnerable and elderly, and domestic animals, in space and time.

One member of the panel is elected to represent the whole panel in bioregional meetings, and so on to global level.

Annually and at times of need, digital conferences are held to convene all bioregions in global matters and actions advised at a local level.

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In Summary

As an ecopolitico system, Cherishism provides foundational care for all, with an emphasis on caring for the carers, children and flolocas. It is structural love. Although all have a responsibility to life/love/flows (fluminism), greater social respect is given to those beings that are ‘sacred centres’ for what they do as in all nature, and NOT how much money or property they earn. Rewards are intrinsic and experiential.

Housing, food, water and heat/cooling and clothing are provided not simply as ‘basic’ things, but comfortable, equitable,beautiful (locally) and ecological. Emphasis is never on collective funds, but collective ability to care, NURTURE KINSHIP, to participate in positive ways to share best understanding (science and/or indigenous, arts, beauty), in order for all life to flourish.

No financial markets exist. No financial housing/land market exists. No political parties exist, though political education is widely accessible and progress debated. Resilience is found instead within deep, meaningful and loving relationships.

Licenses for land use with flolocas must pass through all local ethics committees, with the advice of the Cherishers. Public places such as schools, libraries, hospitals and care homes are classed ‘Cherished.’ The ‘Cherish’ (aka communal gathering places where Cherishers are also based), exist in all flolocas and kinnages, and are crucial sacred centres.

Monetary bonds in materials such as minerals and metals, etc, do exist, but only in supporting extra critical (ONE-HEALTH) health care and compassionate science and communication. Bioregions in the global south will, therefore, benefit greatly, but activity must be ecologically fore-storative by all those who benefit and agreed by local ethics panels.

Global institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF dissolve from staging posts for markets to collaborative, compassionate shared platforms and portals for knowledge (science, ethics and indigenous understanding), and overseers of peace. Other beneficial life preserving institutions remain like CITES and WHO, etc.

We all deserve love and security. And so do all fellow living beings/symlings.

For humans, there needs to be a basic provision of good food, warmth, clothes and shelter, or land to grow things and thrive. We could begin by universal basic income and dedicating a “true” commons of land toward all species.

For teresapien life, place, interconnectedness and peace.

In time, we may compassionately end markets as we know them today and adopt an all-nature commons and a gift economy at large. Life should not be a race to be the smartest, cutest, fastest or richest. The only true resistance is to reject this, to embrace compassion, realise a daily ethic of care and make it structural.

Let us put love back into the meaning of everything we do.

Cherishism; where cherishment is no longer an obsolete word, and in all aspects of life.

My initial introduction may be found here.

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