Amazon Restore, Badass Fruiterrarist Land, and Finca Del Soul
are guided by a set of core values.
These values are very important to the
integrity and long-term success of the project.
| 1 | Vegan ethics: To not exploit, domesticate, keep captive, or unnecessarily harm animals |
| 2 | To conserve existing forest, and to restore deforested land by planting a biodiverse forest - |
| insofar as this does not conflict with #1 | |
| 3 | To plant as much fruit as possible with the aim of creating an alternative to Babylon - |
| insofar as this does not conflict with #1 or #2 | |
| 4 | To respect the freedom and personal autonomy of all sentient beings, including their right |
| to privacy and personal space - insofar as this does not conflict with #1 or #2 or #3 |
These are the most important fundamental values that people should hold
and agree to uphold in order to participate in Badass Fruiterrarist Land.
These values should be instilled deep within us to be followed indefinitely, and are explained in further detail below.
VEGAN ETHICS
Wild animals are an important part of the natural landscape and existed in their habitats long before humans destroyed or manipulated them. Their right to exist there is fundamental, as is the importance of their roles in the ecosystems they live in.
At the core of our beliefs is the understanding that all living beings have inherent value and deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. The exploitation, domestication, and captivation of animals for human gain and without their consent disregards their fundamental rights and contributes to the degradation of the natural world.
Exploitation
When animals are exploited for any purposes, such as being killed or having their milk, eggs, honey, or anything else they create stolen, they always endure some amount suffering and cruelty and lose their personal autonomy. They are deprived of their natural processes, subjected to confinement and mistreatment, and forced to live in conditions that are detrimental to their physical and mental well-being. This blatant disregard for their welfare is not only ethically wrong but also disrupts the delicate balance of ecosystems that rely on the presence and behaviour of these animals.
Domestication
Domestication of wild animals, whether for pets, entertainment, or labour, also crosses ethical boundaries. Animals are not suited for life in captivity and experience stress, fear, and behavioural issues as a result. Feeding animals or allowing them to live in artificial conditions creates dependency and suppresses their instincts, leading to emotional distress and physical ailments. These unnatural lifestyles not only harm the individual animals but also have wider repercussions on surrounding ecosystems.
Captivity
Keeping animals in captivity without the freedom to roam in their natural habitats, whether for personal enjoyment or profit, disturbs the intricate web of relationships that exist within forest ecosystems. Many animals play crucial roles in seed dispersal, pollination, and pest control, and disrupting these interactions can have cascading effects on plant and animal populations.
Most importantly, forced captivity imposes human-made boundaries and conditions on unconsenting animals, essentially creating a system of slavery and bondage. If we value and desire freedom for ourselves then it only makes sense to share that same right with animals.
Unprovoked Harm
Harming peaceful animals, whether through hunting, poaching, habitat destruction, or any physical abuse further violates the natural rights of these beings and imposes an unfair hierarchy between humans and non-human animals.
Animals have the same innocence of a child, they avoid pain, they want to live, they usually can’t defend themselves, and they can’t speak out against harm caused to them. Unless animals put us in a position where we need to defend ourselves or our property, instigating violence against our non-human brothers and sisters is not only ethically unjust but also disrespectful, discriminatory, and hateful.
These ethics are non-negotiable and crucial to creating and recreating more natural and sustainable ecosystems in a harmonious relationship with the natural world. We don’t need to intervene in the lives of animals, but rather to simply leave them in peace, allowing them to live freely and naturally as a matter of respect and dignity. Read more…
CONSERVATION & REFORESTATION
Along with respecting and coexisting peacefully with animals, we are also dedicated to the vital goal of conserving existing forests and restoring deforested land through the planting of biodiverse forests.
Of utmost importance is preserving the forests that are still standing, as they already have the existing natural balance of biodiversity, wildlife habitat, climate regulation, and many other key characteristics. To destroy existing or regenerating forests only reduces and depletes the very resource that is critically vital to our existence.
Deforestation of any significantly regenerating forest only prolongs the timeline before a mature and balanced system can be achieved, and removing forest in order to reforest with “more desirable” species only replaces natural systems with unnatural ones and still retards the establishment of an intimately beneficial old-growth forest.
So, conserving existing forest is priority numero uno, since that’s what so very few people do on this earth. Once we’ve got that basic obviousness under control, then the real work begins.
So we reforest, reforest, and reforest some more. And then we keep reforesting. We plant seeds and trees, we remove or manage the non-foresty competitive species that try to prevent the forest from regenerating, and we allow and foster the reestablishment of native forests while planting lots and lots and lots of fruit trees.
FRUITERRARISM
We want to eat fruit, we don’t want to starve, and we don’t want to rely on the capitalist system for food. So, the answer is to plant as many fruit trees as we can, to create an abundance of clean food that requires no money, stores, delivery trucks, or hoping the farmers didn’t grow or preserve the food with some life-threatening toxic chemicals.
The whole system of Babylon, which is the entire matrix of the financial, legal, industrial, military, media, medical, education, entertainment, transportation, technology, religious, and virtually every other man-made complex you could think of, all has the power and allure to control us.
Not that we can’t use or benefit from some elements of the system, but the goal is to minimise our reliance on these things so that we can achieve freedom, independence, self-sufficiency, health, consciousness, clarity, personal growth, and inner happiness inasmuch as we can.
We use the food as the foundation for this quest, taking control of our nourishment and physical bodies by prioritising the planting of trees that will feed us with hydrating, vitalizing, and karma-minimising fruits, with the aim of eliminating our reliance on the Babylonian system for our survival.
FREEDOM
Being free to live however we want and do whatever we want, as long as we don’t damage others or their property, is the fundamental principle of Natural Law, and is an inherent right that every one of us is born with.
Freedom is what gives us the ability to express ourselves genuinely, follow our truest desires, and reach our highest potentials. In Natural Law, freedom is only limited by responsibility, meaning that we respect others and compensate them if we cause them harm.
To govern or control another being is slavery or bondage, which is in direct opposition of Natural Law. Just as we hold the value of leaving animals in peace without imposing any restrictions on their lives, we also value and respect the freedom of everyone who is not causing harm.
We support non-compliance with any man-made law that restricts our freedom, and we support everyone’s right to be self-governing without recognition of any other authority or master, while agreeing to settle any disputes amicably and honorably and holding ourselves liable and responsible to remedy any damage we cause to others.
We also believe in an expectation of personal privacy and private space, where everyone has the right to enjoy a non-invasive environment free from other people infringing on our choice to be private in the information we share or to be in solitude without disturbance if we wish.
These fundamental Core Values of vegan ethics, conservation and reforesting, fruiterrarism, and freedom and privacy,
are the building blocks of the world we envision, where all beings live freely in dignity
in a flourishing natural environment with ample food, shelter, and resources,
free from the restrictive impositions of Babylon and anyone who wants to restrict or control others.
Cover image by Geoff Stein