Ishra

A concept for interacting with each other. A social contract. A paradigm for living Orthotropically.

What they are building

Ishra is an Arabic word that comes with a lot of history. It basically refers to the bonds that come from having shared history. But here, in Scarrae, it refers to the social code that defines us.
1. Care for your people.
2. Give what doesn’t deplete.
3. Share what burdens and costs
4. Because we are connected, and this builds up the connection.
This isn’t unique to the Arab world. It shows up in many native cultures from Tuvalu where wealth is defined by what you give rather than what you have, to Japan where musubi, the ties between all things result in omotenashi and motainai principles. It also shows up in marginalized populations like Roma, punk, LGBTQ, immigrant communities, anywhere people have needed to rely on each other for survival.

What caught our attention

If we are seeking wellness and reality, Ishra gives us a basic set of principles to foster that growth for ourselves and for others around us. It is basically an ecological principle that can be found in many cooperative species from bees and rats to wolves, whales, and primates. It doesn’t specify what that looks like. It is a guiding principle, not a law. Edgar Rice Burroughs said we only need laws to show us what we can get away with. Ishra is the opposite. It shows us that cooperation leads to thriving. But more than that, it shows us that we don’t do it out of obligation. We do it because it feels right, feels good. This is love at its most primal conception. And like all ecological systems, when allowed to work naturally, love is self-sustaining, self-enhancing, and self-replicating.

When you live in the margins, the gaps… the riss, you are closer to the basics. It’s hard to pretend or pad ourselves when we have to struggle to thrive. So Ishra comes more naturally to Scarrae. It’s a focus on the wellness of the relationships while keeping the individuals balanced. No one gets depleted, and no one gets excess. Can you think of examples?