Transcendentalism

The next major worldview is virtually the opposite of naturalism. While naturalism says that all things are made of natural means, transcendentalism says that all things are spiritual. We are all part of a "greater force" in nature itself that only inhabits the physical sometimes.

In this worldview, the idea of "shedding these natural clothes" is an important one. The basic religions that all transcendentalist religions are daughter to are Hinduism and Buddhism. We do not seem to have an exact time frame for the birth of Hinduism, but Buddhism, which flowed directly out of Hinduism, was around about 400 years before Christ. Buddha worked to help people's spirit to get out of the cycle of suffering and reincarnation and join everlasting peace and oneness in nirvana [just why did Kurt Cobain blow his head off? Do you think it had anything to do with his worldview?].

In Hinduism, the greater "force" is Brahman. The goal is to reach enlightenment, which includes peace and ridding yourself of you, that is, anything that is inconsistent with brahman, to become part of brahman. Buddhism is very similar, but nirvana is the term for the 'greater force'.

The ultimate questions are answered in different ways in the transcendental worldview.

1. Origins - Where did everything come from? In the transcendental worldview, everything already existed. Maybe it didn't always exist in the natural form we see it today, but the spiritual dimension [brahman/nirvana] has always been there. Generally, the transcendental is not very concerned with the natural bend on life, since they are really just trying to rid of it anyway. Therefore, understanding 'how things first arose' or 'came about' is not nearly as interesting to the general transcendentalist as it might be for the naturalist. They are more focused on where they are going, which has nothing to do with material existence at all.

2. Meaning - Where do transcendentalists' find ultimate meaning in life? This might be the most coersive part of the naturalist mentality. See, in the transcendentalist worldview, human beings are NOT sinful or mean or bad, they are Divine. They are part of god [brahman/nirvana]. The greater purpose then is to shed anything that is inconsistent with the great 'force'/god around them and become a part of it. In some unusual ways, one can see how attractive this idea might be for someone. "You are not intrinsicly evil or sinful, you are god!" That sure could sound much better, whether it is true or not.

3. Morality - How do trancendentalists' decide right and wrong? Since everything is about becoming one with your surroundings, about obtaining peace and unity, about submission to the way of brahman/nirvana, then any moral code would align itself with these goals. If stealing would rob someone of unity with another, stealing would be out of the question. If killing would takes away from a peaceful existence with others, it too would out of the question. The moral codes in transcendental religious belief systems vary, but the main thrust is to pursue unity, oneness, peace and happiness.

4. Destiny - What happens when a transcendentalist dies [according to their religious teaching]? This might be one of the most interesting points of this worldview. Many transcendental religious worldviews have some sort of twist on the teaching of reincarnation. Reincarnation says that when one dies, if they are not yet enlightened to the point of reaching brahman/nirvana, they will come back in another life. Think Brad Pitt in "Seven Years in Tibet". Do you remember why the Buddhist monks stopped digging for the foundation of the new orphanage? They ran into some earthworms. That's right, they decided they couldn't build an orphanage for unwanted children because these earthworms could be "great-grandma" or something. What a trajedy.

There are many ideas of how or why someone will come back as another organism, based on works righteousness and doing better at life, but finally you just keep on coming back until you "finally get it right" and join brahman/nirvana. No wonder Kurt Cobain shot his brains out. Have you ever read the lyrics to his songs? This man was hurting, angry, pissed off and sad. Why wouldn't he kill himself?! If he was enlightened enough, he would go onto nirvana [the name of his band], but if not, he would just be reincarnated anyway and 'get another chance'. The chances would go on infinitely until you reached brahman/nirvana [or in an Americanized twisting, like on the movie "Knowing", you are picked up in the space ship by aliens...Tom Cruize is waiting his turn...they can have him. Scientology is a strange mixing of these ideas from transcendentalism as well as some from naturalism, at least for the question of origins, since they believe that aliens 'seeded' life on earth.].

These ideas have been twisted and changed in more 'westernized' versions. There are many, and they are also made very popular by Hollywood stars, including Wicca, Taro card reading, horoscopes, scientology, kabbalah, and many others. The "living god in the soul" and the power one can obtain by reaching this source is always a draw for many. In fact, many of the main ideas of Star Wars is attributed to transcendentalist thinking. "Become one with the force, Luke" isn't just a line in a movie, but a real worldview that is making its renown known. Yoga and other systems of thought which seek to 'harness the power from within' are all trying to grasp the divine nature in "all of us" [as the trancendentalist would conceive].

Transcendentalists and Naturalists seem to look within for meaning, answers, direction and strength, but maybe the answer is in looking up.