Appreciatism, a new secular life philosophy?

[wordy]

The word appreciatism already exists on the web but I launch here my interpretation of it.

appreciatism = to grasp the nature, worth, quality, or significance of being alive and living here in this material world without ascribing anything supernatural to it.

Appreciatism value or admire highly material life as it is. We enjoy being alive.

We who self-identify to be appreciatists recognize with gratitude the experience of being a human among other humans on this earth. Fully aware of that we are alive only for a short while and then comes our death and nothing to appreciate anymore.

Appreciatism as a life philosophy is too much for me. A way of life, why drag in philosophy at all?

So to me appreciatism is a simple way of life. Atheistic and materialistic but emotionally expressionistic and caring about all there is.

[wordy]

Appreciatism is something very simple. Not so sophisticated.

What could you who read this support about it. Is the name ok or corny weird or confusing even?

Is there anything positive to say about it.
Is it too truistic or plattitudical or of no value whatsoever?

Your kind comments would be appreciated.

[goldingds]

I like the idea, and I think, in fact, many Atheists feel "apprecistic." I've heard people say that Athiesm gives them a certain love for the now, for what's real and apparent, for life. While Christians believe life is merely a waiting room for a greater plane called heaven, Atheists believe that life is all there is, and for that, it is the best there is, and they cherish it. I know I do.

[Vivo]

I agree with Goldings completly, and the whole idea of appreciatism! If there's any term that could accuratly describe my heart, I think it would be this.

On the same note, there is a song that is very much about this kind of thinking. It's called "Another Day" from the musical "Rent." Check it out. It's worth it. The first minute a guy argues about living more conservative-like, but then the girl breaks in - and damn! She very eloquently argues a theme very like appreciatism and atheism in general. By the way, this theme is the ultimate victor throughout the musical, and I think it's a damn fine musical.

[wordy]

Thanks for kind words. Me starting the thread was way over my capacity to sort things out I guess. Here is how Mimi and the others in the musical "Rent" interpret it.

I can't control
My destiny
I trust my soul

My only goal is just
To be
There's only now
There's only here

Give in to love
Or live in fear

No other path
No other way
No day but today...

I am bad at logic and at poetry. Not sure what they want to say. Some of them had AIDS and HIV and had hard time surviving so they lived more for the moment.

When I felt for appreciatism I thought more of a sustainable way of life than a moment by moment, carpe diem sort of appreciation. Such is a good thing too. We only have this moment from an experiental perspective but to create a sustainable structure one need to be flexible and have forsight like weather people. To have an birdseye view using mechanical "birds" way up high to get a distant perspective and collected measurment from way back through time to have a perspective from past to know how weather or human nature have acted upon environmental threats and inner biological and outer cultural considerations. We even have to look out in our solar system to warn us of the big stones there who could destroy life as we know it.

By being appreciative of what we have I hope we could also care for that coming generation would be able to have something to appreciate. Big apes as one such diversity.

Our human history show we are an aggressive opportunistic lot who kills anything we could eat or sell for money or political power.

Edward O Wilson wrote a book he named Biophilia.

I have argued in this book that we are human in good part because of the particular way we affiliate with other organisms. They are the matrix in which the human mind originated and is permanently rooted, and they offer the challenge and freedom innately sought. To the extent that each person can feel like a naturalist, the old excitement of the untrammeled world will be regained. I offer this as a formula of reenchantment to invigorate poetry and myth: mysterious and little known organisms live within walking distance of where you sit. Splendor awaits in minute proportions.
Edward O. Wilson, Biophilia, 1984, p. 139

The one process now going on that will take millions of years to correct is the loss of genetic and species diversity by the destruction of natural habitats. This is the folly our descendants are least likely to forgive us.
Edward O. Wilson, Biophilia, 1984, p, 121

To love life as it is with all the diversity and to appreciate being alive to experience all this. That is appreciatism for me.