HUMAN-TRANSCENDENCE
By
Joseph Sguigna
CONTENTS
BOOK ONE
A Contemplative Person
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PART 1: Human-Transcendence as an integrated Love-Wisdom
Preface
PART 2: Human-Transcendence as Love
[Our Transcendence]
HUMAN LOVE
[Our Humanness]
Self-loveErotic Love
Vital Love
Nihilistic Love
HUMAN-TRANSCENDENT LOVE
[Our Human-Transcendence]
Humanistic Love
Ideal Love
Selfless Love
Mystic Love
PART 3: The Philosophy of Love
I: Love as Essential Being
II. Love as the God Within
III: The Love Testament
IV: Perspectives of Love
V. Unto Self-Freedom
PART 1: An Overview of Wisdom In Relation to Human-Transcendence
Classical Views Modern Views
Classical Views
Modern Views
PART 2: Human-Transcendence as Love
TRANSCENDENT LOVE
[Our Transcendence]
HUMAN LOVE
[Our Humanness]
Self-love
Erotic Love
Vital Love
Nihilistic Love
HUMAN-TRANSCENDENT LOVE
[Our Human-Transcendence]
Humanistic Love
Ideal Love
Selfless Love
Mystic Love
BOOK THREE
Perceptive Persons
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PART 1: Wisdom Perspectives in Relation to Human-Transcencence
PART 2: Human-Transcendence as Love
TRANSCENDENT LOVE
[Our Transcendence]
HUMAN LOVE
[Our Humanness]
Self-love
Erotic Love
Vital Love
Nihilistic Love
HUMAN-TRANSCENDENT LOVE
[Our Human-Transcendence]
Humanistic Love
Ideal Love
Selfless Love
Mystic Love
BOOK ONE
A Contemplative Person
HUMAN-TRANSCENDENCE
Introductory Notes
1
A conscious transformation is underway! -- a transformation through a human-transcendent wisdom leading to the ascendancy of justice and wisdom.
As our nature is both human and transcendent (flesh and spirit, self and soul, so to speak), each pitted one against the other, as it always seems, this human-transcendent wisdom resolves this age-old conflict by having these two "antagonists" balanced into a harmonious wisdom - hence a conscious transformation.
Underlying this wisdom is the unifying bond, or power, of Love that holds all things together in their proper place; so that rather than our humanness repelling our transcendence, and vice versa, each attracts one another in the right proportion, or tension, relative to the individual.
This human-transcendent transformation, then, has its accompanying human-transcendent wisdom as its guide, and Love [as the bond of unity] -- (or Love, with a capital 'L') as its source.
Human-Transcendence covers a wide range of human, transcendent, and human-transcendent observations of our complex humanity moral and spiritual idealism, evil, our vulnerabilities, our various moods and inclinations, our frailties, our inner and outer conflicts, our insecurities, and so on.
By pinpointing the array of our human complexities, this work helps us become acutely - not just vaguely -- aware, and accepting of, the limitations of our humanness, the limitlessness and uplift of our transcendence, and the possibilities and refinements of our human-transcendence.
2
What is this conscious transformation in regards to wisdom?
It is an expanding self-understanding that comes through a wisdom that balances our humanness with our transcendence. This wisdom plumbs the psychological essentials of our humanness in relation to the philosophical essentials of our transcendence. Both these essentials originate from the source of wisdom; namely, Love [as the bond of all unity].
Transcendently speaking, we identify this bond of unity as the Meaning of unity, as an undivided, unmanifested whole: the oneness underlying all things, all reality. Spiritually speaking, we identify this bond of unity -- Love -- this meaning, this oneness, as God, or the Godhead, to be more precise.
And since each of us -- not to mention "things" -- is an individual unity-complex, there is this aforementioned underlying bond that unifies us into this particular being, interrelatedly part by part, so to speak. Hence we have our individual meaning in the scheme of things, are essentially Love, and so of oneness. Accordingly, in this sense, of Love, we are essentially God, are essentially the Godhead. And so, God is within us as It is within everything, unifying all being into infinite relationships.
This "God within" paradigm is the cornerstone of the conscious transformation of which I speak; since it is the foremost living truth of our being --: that we are essentially the meaning, oneness, love, of all being. "God is love," as it has been handed down to us from all time and from all climes. And as God is love, so is love God.
These grand statements, of course, have to be demonstrated as believable -- hopefully true -- beyond just words, however philosophically, poetically, even scientifically, convincingly stated. And the closest we can get to that truth is to experience Love and its results. It is a simple enough matter to experience and witness acts of love in our everyday lives. These, however, do not transport us to the ultimate oneness, the bond, of Love. Yet there is the experience of that ultimate oneness known as the mystic experience. Perhaps we have all experienced, momentarily, at least, that oneness to one degree or another. If we were to read of this ultimate experience from authoritative sources from all time and from all places, we would become more familiar with its reality; and so perhaps be convinced of that reality as being Love, God, Power; as being ourselves too as that Love, God, Power, even though we may not have experienced it.
Having set down this evidence, the next stage would be to introduce the reader to the wisdom of this God- within reality; from which stage would follow the source of this wisdom, being Love.
As a person gains this wisdom, that is, attains self-understanding, he becomes more receptive and sensitive to the truths, the Meaning, of human nature and of essential nature: Love.
This conscious transformation happens through the contemplation and practice of these truths.
Spontaneous Thoughts on Wisdom
1. Let Wisdom be my mistress, as I am male; my master; as I am female.
2. With Wisdom by my side, I soften my defenses, I drop my shield.
3. Wisdom is the passageway through which I meet myself as love.
4. It is a joyful wisdom we want; not a somber, severe, austere wisdom.
5. Wisdom is our transcendence in thought, feeling, and action.
6. Wisdom is the image of eternity.
7. Trying to capture the quick of Wisdom would be like trying to seize a shooting star.
8. Wisdom is as effervescent as a breeze wafting through our mind; yet more real than our breath.
9. After all the words used to try to capture the meaning of Wisdom, it nonetheless remains ever ineffably a conundrum.
10. Wisdom makes us wise in action (in practical matters) and deep in thought (in contemplative matters). How? By imparting to us truths of life and Truth in Love.
11. Our destiny lies in the folds of Wisdom of which we have only intimations.
12. Through Wisdom do we sense our essentiality.
13. Wisdom is nowhere somewhere in our conscious being.
14. Wisdom is God (Pure Being) actualized.
15. What Wisdom means is beyond our ken but “within” our being.
16. Wisdom is the medium through which eternal truths issue.
17. Think of Wisdom as the key to our eternal nature.
18. Think of Wisdom as the messenger of eternal truths.
19. Wisdom is sure to beautify herself in our minds so that we are drawn to her in sweet desire.
20. Wisdom sets forth its ideals in our minds so that we aspire to them however unattainably.
21. Wisdom abides in the eternity of Truth as One, and shares this truth with man in living concepts.
22. Wisdom is so inherent to eternal Truth that those who live only for life's truths have little share in her bounty - though they are offered to them.
23. As there is a method to madness, so there is a share of wisdom in ignorance -- though we may never grasp this truth.
24. Wisdom shares her secrets to those who, not only are receptive to them, but who love them. One such secret: that there are no problems, only solutions; another such secret: Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans; one more such secret: Love is all you need. You might recognize these secrets in Lennon's songs.
25. Wisdom is everywhere to her self, but nowhere to us; just as our mind is nowhere to be found (perceived) yet everywhere in thought.
26. Now Wisdom is here, then its gone; now your sure of it, then unsure; now in its bosom, then in the cold, now in possession of its treasures then barren of them.
27. When you act wisely, you act in love; since love holds everything together in its place and order -- even when it separates in strife; for is not everything bound in relationship one to the next, one to everything however far apart?
28. Through good (morally and deliberatively) judgment, the disciple of wisdom measures (i.e. judges, determines) the proper distance between persons in harmony or in strife.
29. The disciple of wisdom deciphers well good from evil, the soft-natured from the hard-natured, and acts accordingly; that is, measures correctly the distance between the two in persons through sound judgment regardless of the consequences.
30. Acting in wisdom -- with good deliberation, good judgment, with understanding of the full truth of the situation.
31. He acts in wisdom -- is at one with the Source, the Essence, of universal Truth, eternal Oneness: Love.
32. He acts through wisdom -- He lives in, for, and by, the inspiration of Wisdom.
33. Wisdom is your wisdom; you just have to find it in yourself, listen for it, be receptive to it.
34. Perhaps your errors, your wrongs, are as much a part of the wisdom of the whole scheme of things, as are your accuracies, your rights.
35. Be wise in your folly -- meaning: be the fool at times but know when you are, and when to desist.
36. Sensuous beauty ensnares us all, but Wisdom's beauty frees us in peace through Love.
37. Project Wisdom in your mind as your Friend -- your Jesus (or Buddha, or Krishna, if you will) -- your mysterious Presence that is every rapping at your inner door, however silently it may be, however you may ignore it.
38. Wisdom is your vital lifeline to your Eternal Oneness, your Unity.
39. Now and then wisdom does more than guide you through life -- it infuses you with its bliss.
40. You might think of wisdom as the “Son of God” who imparts the WORD to our minds from the Godhead.
41. Jesus as the WORD -- or just as well Buddha, or Krishna, or Ramakrishna. This WORD gives us as Wisdom through which we live wisely in love and die eternally in Bliss-Oneness.
42. Rest your mind in the calm and still of Wisdom's presence.
43. Wisdom is her name; beauty is her image; truth is her way, and love her essence.
44. Wisdom is the name we give to that which inspires us to our transcendence.
45. Wisdom is part human and all divine.
46. Wisdom is not something we attain -- how can we attain what we already have?; it is wisdom in thought and action that we attain.
47. Wisdom is Love's emissary; it is our divine spark that ignites true vision through intuition.
48. Through the channel of intuition our reason structures the world for us.
49. Wisdom attunes us to the chords and discords of life in love and strife.
50. A: Your so-called Wisdom as some kind of spiritual essence seems to me to be no more than a chimera, an illusion, if not a delusion.
B: Do you know that for certain?
A: Well, I don't suppose anything human is certain. I don't deny right out the spirituality (or pureness) of being; but my objection is your spiritualizing wisdom which has to do with rational thought dealing with contingent, practical, and necessary truths. Why are you turning it into some kind of deity?
B: Not a deity -- a divinity; there's a difference.
A: Which is?
B: The difference between conceptualizing God as pure Being and God as divinity. We conceive of God as Being; we intuit God as divinity. Our concept of God as Being is limited to our rational nature; that is, we're not able to verify it. And so, we can never know if this concept is based on reality. And so, our concept of God as Being can never really effect our lives emotionally, deeply, except on faith or illusion, as you call it. On the other hand, our intuition of God (Essence) as divine does affect us emotionally, because it somehow inspires us to act and think rightly in accord with the truths of life -- and the Truth of Being, as we conceive of it; however wrong we may be about this conception.
A: Then you admit that you might be under an illusion that God is pure Being.
B: Yes; I've said as much.
A: And that it is possible that there is no such thing as God as Pure Being?
B: True.
A: In which case, there would be no so-called Wisdom emanating from some so-called Pure Being?
B: That follows simply enough.
A: Then that would leave wisdom meaning simply acting with good judgment about particular and universal truths about life and nature.
B: Agreed.
A: Then why, in any sense of the word, would you consider wisdom as
divine?
B: Because of the wonder of it all! -- of the mystery of all these truths in life and in nature. I remember reading on a plague somewhere “Wisdom begins with wonder.” And when we wonder, we stand in awe of what we can- not understand; but which moves us inexplicably in sublime transports of ineffable joy. This mysterious faculty that sparks wonder in us and inspires us to explore and enquire and create artistically, scientifically, philosophically, psychologically, is what I consider as divine. And yes, we may very well be mistaken in our various interpretations of this divine element in us; but we are not mistaken that it makes its presence known to us. And when it further inspires us to act rightly in love, then I know all the more that it is divine by the harmony love tends to fuse people together in unity -- in an affectionate bond of compas- sionate unity, as I call it. And if it is an illusion, something our minds have concocted to preserve our species from extinction, and nothing more-then even that stark reality is divine so far as I'm concerned. And because it is what we term “wisdom” that synapses, so to speak, the living truths of reality, then It, in my estimation, is my divine counterpart; and I treasure It as my spark of divinity.
A: Well that fairly much puts my argument to rest.
B: That sounds ambiguous. To rest in what sense: you are convinced, or you are exasperated.
A: The former. Though I would like to know more about love in its relationship to wisdom. But
another time.
51. A conundrum of wisdom: Because of love people hate; because of justice people commit injustices --
which is to say, because of good, evil exists.
52. And when all else turns against you - because of you or because of others -- you have the solace, the comfort, the strength, to carry on with your beloved Wisdom who is with you regardless; since it is she and her cohort, God, who set all this life “business” up in the first place. So rather than be a mere pawn to this often sordid, absurd business of human life, join forces, hold hands, with the perpetrators of it all: God and its handwork, Wisdom. This is not so pretty a picture of Wisdom, as I have so far set it forth.
53. It's hard to hold on to an abstraction, such as, Wisdom, however dear it is to us, when the furies of life engulf us, make their onslaught upon us.
54. Let Wisdom accompany you wherever you go, whatever you do.
55. Wisdom can save you from yourself and from others. Keep the faith!
56. “I'll do it for Wisdom” -- No more vows, resolutions, and the like. I'll simply do, or not do it, for my love of wisdom. Now I've got it!
57. Wisdom, we might say, is the eye of knowledge.
58 Wisdom requires much of us; but it gives much, too -- much more than it requires in the end.
59. With Wisdom as our constant companion, we have a personal transcendent purpose to refine ourselves as never before: our beauteous Wisdom.
60. Wisdom is imbued with Love.
61 Wisdom is what gives meaning to Love
62 Wisdom is the human expression of Meaning.
63 Meaning is the "why" of Love.
64 To say that a person is wise is to mean that he or she lives the Meaning of Love.
65 Look at Meaning in this light: meaning as we use it in daily discourse -- the meaning of a word, the meaning our life, and so forth, is the emanation of the Meaning of everything. In which case, the meaning of a word - any word in any language -- is the Meaning of all words; the meaning of our life is the Meaning of life itself.
66 Intuition is the wisdom of our species; and the wisdom of our species is the Meaning of our species. - the Meaning we can never know as a species.
67 Wisdom speaks of Meaning; that is to say: wisdom is the word of Meaning.
68 When we act in, for, love, we act with wisdom; and when we act with wisdom, we are in touch with the Meaning of that wisdom, the Meaning of that act of love.
69 Our feelings (emotions, passions, etc.) ensue from love, for good or for ill, love of self or of otherwise; and we act according to those feelings. And those feelings have a wisdom of their own -- "method to our madness." And that wisdom belongs the collective meaning of our humanity.
70 Were we to trace the wisdom of our humanity to its source -- which we can never do in this life - we would arrive at its ultimate Meaning.
71 All peak experiences of love, which transcends oneself beyond one's self, are degrees of mystic experiences relative to the range of their intensity and purity.
I: THE WISDOM OF HUMAN-TRANSCENDENCE
1. A human-transcendence is what we want: a life that is human in its transcendence.
2. We have our humanness, and we have our transcendence; and from these two, we arrive at a human-transcendence.
3. Yes, be transcendent, as transcendent as you can be; but hesitate before you seriously deny, judge, condemn, or hate your humanness -- or anyone else's.
4. Transcendence can take you from zero to infinity, from here to eternity, beyond good and evil.
5. A serene calm with transcendence; an agitated tension with humanness. Both profit us in their place, and in balance.
6. Just as you are human so are you transcendent: temporally human, eternally transcendent.
7. At each inspiration, at each effort, to control yourself, refine yourself, go beyond yourself; know that a transcendent element is working in you.
8. Some aspects of our humanness: our need to be needed, to be loved, to belong, to be respected, to be admired, to be secure, to be accepted, to be right, to be appreciated, to be intelligent -- and the whole host of psychological needs that anyone can fill in. Then there are our fears, our insecurities, our moods, our sensuality, our ego, our passions, our lusts, desires, greeds -- and on and on, endlessly it seems; all indicative of our humanness, our all-too-human self.
9. Some aspects of our transcendence: our sense of beauty; our tendency toward goodness, toward right, toward grace, toward being, toward contemplation, meditation; our impulse to create, to know, to understand, to observe, to reflect, to analyze; our intuitions and visions of universal truths; nirvanic states of pure bliss-light-power; all indicative of our transcendence beyond the categories of self and reason, space and time.
10. Let your sense of transcendence offset, soothe, the brunt of your humanness.
11. The balance of opposites is the key to freedom:to self-freedom; and human-transcendence is such a balance.
12. Transcendence saves.
13. Think transcendently, and you will feel transcendent, you will be transcendent. Through the way of human-transcendence we are neither all-too-human nor more-than-human; we are human in our transcendence and transcendent in our humanness.
14. Human-transcendence is a mature wisdom of life; for normally those who strive for higher ideals have to pass through a long gestation period before they come to realize that they cannot be totally transcendent, no more than can the realist be totally human.
15. The way of human-transcendence aims for a guiltless, fearless life.
16. Be wary that your humanness does not get the better of you -- nor your transcendence.
17. Try not to be too hard on yourself; give way to the human in you when need be -- or desire be -- at times; relax the tension of effort now and then, but be careful that it doesn't slacken. The human in us tends more toward inertia when it comes to effort .
18. Human-transcendence: simply the moderate balance between both the human and transcendent in us.
19. Living this human-transcendence, you do not lose your masculinity, or your femininity; rather, you refine it so that you become more manly than masculine, more womanly than feminine.
20. The transcendent-humanist delights in diversity, and joys in unity; for he sees diversity as the other side of unity.
21. The human fascinates; the transcendent awes.
22. The human-in-us limits us; the transcendent-in-us expands us.
23. If you must, continue to strive to be transcendent only beyond the all-too-human part of yourself; and finally, if you are human in the full sense of the word, you will come back to your human side, and not make severe, austere demands upon it so much. Having reached this stage of your development, you might then begin to harmonize the two sides of yourself.
24. Living transcendently human is the many-sided, the full, life amidst the play of opposites.
25. Before you readily fall into the trap of the excuse, "After all, I'm only human," remember that you are also transcendent; and that part of you makes its demands too. And judgment is on the side of your transcendent self; use it often, and wisely -- if that's not being redundant.
26. Human-transcendence is an ideal wisdom grounded in the realities of life.
27. The transcendent experience is that state of consciousness which goes beyond self-consciousness.
28. This wisdom of life gives not only the proper due to the Dionysian (sensual, dark) and Apollonian (reason, light) sides of our nature, but it is an endeavor to harmonize the two. It is the all-too-human and the more-than-human way of life; it represents the law of polarity, and acts as a checks and balances of the opposites in life. There is no perfection in this way, only a balance between perfection and imperfection: a balance between ideals and realities.
29. In this way of life there is little embarrassment or shame at being all-too-human, or regret or remorse for not being more-than-human.
30. Even those who are not very receptive to transcendence would do well to foster some aspects of their transcendence if only to relieve them from the relentless pull and frustration of their human side.
31. You have failed yourself transcendently? You are not coming up to your ideals? Fine. Don't despair; your human self wants its way, too, you know; you still have blood coursing through your veins, you know; you still drink, eat, and sleep, and eliminate, and copulate, you know; you still feel warmth and cold, fatigue and irritation, you know; if you examine yourself closely enough, you will see that your pride is still with you, you know. These are all human; so let us not disparage them, please...you know.
32. Nietzsche's overman -- a chimera? Not at all! It is a reality if one can come to live the human-transcendent life.
33. Relax both sides of you; be kind to each other.
34. In order to accept and love your humanness, you need your transcendence; you cannot pull yourself up by your own human bootstraps, as the saying goes. Your humanness is blinded to itself: it only knows itself, or more correctly, it only is itself. It is your transcendence that loves, that understands, that tries.
35. Human-transcendence is an ideal philosophy -- not a philosophy of ideals alone, but an ideal philosophy in the sense that it is an ideal way to live in accordance with one's humanness and transcendence --: that is the ideal to strive for.
36. How good, how free, it is to once again love your humanness! This truly is the joyful wisdom of which Nietzsche taught...Nietzsche! humanity's prophet of the new man, of the new way, of the new freedom. We are your heirs, dear man, who loved mankind so much that you laid down your sanity for it. You are the true Christ-like figure, the true Christian, not your wax models from churchdom, from Christendom. We owe a vast debt to you, oh, titan of freedom! You are our Prometheus.
37. Oh, to get to the point of just as soon turning to your humanness as your transcendence without compulsion, without impulse; but with judgment, perspective, understanding, wisdom.
38. What we need in our age above all is to come to a human-transcendence; and that is the enterprise for generations to come: a wondrous enterprise; a challenging, daring enterprise; the Olympic enterprise -- if not a terrifying enterprise!
39. Should you feel superior, or worse, arrogant, in what you believe to be your freedom in human-transcendence, you are sorely mistaken in that freedom, friend; because superiority and arrogance smack solely of the human, not of the transcendent. You're on the wrong track. Try again.
40. Enjoy your humanness; rejoice in your transcendence; let the one run into the other; for in the balance of both of these two sides of yourself, you are truly, fully human.
41. At the moment that I am aware that I am human, all-too-human, I am transcendent of my humanness. It is this willing awareness that transcends my self-will.
42. This human-transcendent wisdom, is surely the best of two worlds: the human and the transcendent.
43. This human-transcendent wisdom promotes and embraces the love in life; for not only does the adherent love his transcendent self, but his human self as well. And loving these in himself, how could he not love the same in others. In other words, he loves his weaknesses as well as his strengths, his good as well as his bad; and so, he loves his life, and life itself he loves too; and again, loving these, how could he not love the same in others who feel the same -- and even those who do not feel the same.
44. It takes a long time, if ever, for an idealist not to be embarrassed by his humanness; and just as long for him, her, to relax and modify the quest for perfection. The realists smile wryly, often piteously, at such individuals.
45. It is the all-too-human element in us which lulls us into submission, resignation, despondency, over misfortune. It is the more-than-human element in us which raises us above misfortune so as to bear, and better deal with, our suffering.
46. Realist. So, how is it with you lately. I haven't seen you for awhile.
Transhumanist. I'm fine. As a matter of fact, I'm wonderful. I've recently developed a philosophy of life for myself which I call human-transcendence. Realist. Mmm, interesting. Tell me about it.Transcendent-humanist. Well, it's freed me to be myself, not only as a human being, but as a transcendent being as well. Realist. Freed you in what sense? Transcendent-humanist. In the sense that I no longer disparage my humanness, nor demand so much from my transcendence.
R. But why would you want to disparage your humanness? It's natural, isn't it.
TH. Yes, but what is natural is not also so attractive nor commendable, to put it lightly.
R. True, but how can that be helped? After all, we're only human, as the saying goes.
TH. I know, but I've always had this drive to be more than human, to rise above the lowly, ugly side of my sensual, ego nature.
R. Oh? You wanted to be a saint?
TH. No, no, not a saint; rather I aspired to be more human than my natural self that wants only its way. I wanted to rise above my sensuality, my ego, my fears, my needs; and, I suppose, most of my desires too.
R. And have you had any considerable success in this pursuit?
TH. Considerable, yes; but not consistent. Like a pendulum, I have always swung from my humanness back to transcendence, and vice versa, without stop. Yet, I'm sure I've gained quite measurably in my transcendent life, but never to my satisfaction; my sensuality and ego, in general, have always interfered with any consistency.
R. And how has your new way of life -- what is it? your human-transcendence -- helped you in this struggle?
TH. Well, as I said, it has made me finally accept my humanness in all its variety in a relaxed, free, and cheerful way; and helped me not to require, or expect, so much of myself transcendently.
R. So, is what you're saying is that you now just give in to your natural impulses freely when they come upon you, and when satiated, you turn to transcendent matters?
T-H. Well, it's not that simple. I don't give in to every natural impulse -- heaven help me; and others too. Basically my transcendence helps me, and has always helped me, in those unspoken areas. But being unspoken, and unpracticed in good part, I'm at least no longer ashamed of those dark areas. I realize that they too are natural to my humanity. I didn't ask for them; life marked me with them; they are just as natural to me as my ego, or my fears, or my drives. I just don't care to be a slave to them, nor to let them undermine my well-being. In which case I have always turned to my transcendence: whether moral, spiritual, or aesthetic transcendence, to keep me in line, so to speak. The difference now is that I'm simply more relaxed about my frail, lusting, fearing, addictive, insecure,violent ego-sensual nature. I accept it as part of my makeup. I'm not struggling against it so much. It's here to stay regardless of how transcendent I may become. My struggle, my quest, if I may say, is to be as transcendent of this ego-sensual nature as I can so that I can realize my full potentials as a human being, as a living being. I want more life, and so I believe I have to get beyond the narrow, confinement of my ego-sensual nature; it's quite satisfied with its continuous, monotonous, round of life pleasures; and if I let it, it will take me to grave with them. and them alone. I want something more, and I mean to do something about it, so long as there is this unmistakable impulse in me, somehow, for me to do so; and this is my transcendence working in me. It balances out my ego-sensual nature while at the same time accepting and respecting it, even loving it , though not fully embracing it.
R. What do you mean by "balancing out" your ego-sensual nature?
TH. I mean my transcendence helps to keep the proper perspective of that part of me: that it is only part of me--and not necessarily the better part; and that though I may fail myself countless times, I pick myself up and carry on always making headway, however slight, toward the person I want to be: a well-balanced person; and that is my human-transcendence, and my freedom.
R. And what exactly is this transcendence that is doing such wonders for you?
TH. I don't know what it is exactly, but I can say that it is a state of consciousness that is beyond my own self-interest, or self-will, or self-preoccupation, or even self-concern. It includes a sense of the beautiful, of wonder, of love; it includes being observant of myself, of others, of nature; it includes the contemplation of life and existence and their meaning, of the order of things. It is a consciousness of delight, joy, vastness, power, bliss, the totality of things--everything conscious that goes beyond self-consciousness. It is what inspires me to the moral virtues: justice, generosity, courage, patience, self-control; it is what inspires me to be moderate in matters of sex, eating, desiring, fearing; it is what inspires the noble in me, the heroic: I would like not to fear pain, or suffering, or dying or failure or rejection; I would like not to think ill of others; I would like not to get angry; I would like to love so vastly that I rise above myself to embrace all opposites in life with deep understanding and not without pain...but that is my dilemma: I can only rise to such an occasion of self-lessness with the mightiest of pain -- the pain of self-denial; and yet I secretly want to be even beyond pain in this high transcendence. As a matter of fact, I realize that all this transcendence for which I strive is deep-down the need to go beyond the pain of human life; I want to be above it so that I can experience more life, be invincibly loving, taking all the pain of others upon my shoulders; let pain not matter to me -- let it be the ultimate pleasure for me! You see,I once believed that if I conquer my human- ness, I conquer pain and suffering and sorrow; and that victory would give me the might to stride the world like a god; and in my case, I would use that might for the good; and I would pass on to others this philosopher's stone, this holy grail.
Totally unrealistic. And so I came to think that it is not that I want to eliminate suffering, but that I want the strength to bear it. This was more a realistic approach to a transcendent life. But even that approach had its drawback for me; and that was -- and still is -- how could I possibly go through life continuously bearing pain at all times; my frail humanity is not up to it? You might have noticed how denying of my humanity my quest for transcendence was; it was a matter of either/or: either my humanness alone or my transcendence alone; no reconciliation; total control of one or the other: either all-too-human or more-than human; no more no less.
This outlook on life continued to be a losing battle for me until I came upon the light of wisdom in this life: don't pit the one against the other; balance them. Let that be the fight, not the vain struggle to control or master that which can never be controlled or mastered. And it was this realization that led me to the wisdom, the freedom, of human-transcendence.
R. Interesting. But tell me, does God, or some such spiritual entity, fit into this schema of transcendence of yours?
TH. Well, if I were to use the word "God," I would consider It as the whole range of this transcendent impulse in me, and in anyone else.
R. I see. And am I right?: your, our, humanness consists of anything that is self-induced, self-involved, self-motivated, self-concerned?
TH. Yes, whatever involves self-will.
R. And that your, our, transcendent self is any state of consciousness that is beyond self-consciousness, is that right?
TH. Right.
R. And this wisdom of human-transcendence is exactly what again?
TH. A blend, a balance, a harmony between one's human self and one's transcendent self; or to omit the word "self," should it be thought that there are two selves involved her, let me just use one's humanness and one's transcendence as the totality of one's conscious reality.
R. Good. And what again is the advantage of this balance of which you speak? I mean, there are many people who are just as content and free in being human only, just as there are others who are content and free to be transcendent, or spiritual, only; such as, monks, seers, saints, sages, and all such people.
TH. Well, the advantage, at least for my type of individual who can neither decry nor deny either his humanness or transcendence, is that there is no longer dissension between the two; but rather a balance between them. I am no longer concerned with being perfectly this or perfectly that; and so, much tension and inner conflict have eased off. I don't claim to have realized this balance yet, but it's coming; I'm much more relaxed about myself than ever before. I don't know what is in store for me in this new inner adventure, but I can see no other way but to live in this free-flowing attitude, and let my natural defenses and propensities and aspirations take their effect.
R. Well, it sounds like a fascinating endeavor you've embarked upon, and I wish you all the success in it.
TH. Thank you. And how about you? Would you be interested in such a wisdom of life?
R. Oh, no; I have too many other interests right now to take on anything new, thank you. And besides, my life as it is quite satisfactory. I hope you're not going to try to convert me.
TH. Not convert you, but give you a new insight.
R. If you'll forgive me, you fellows are all alike; you find a way of life that fulfills you, and right away you think it will suit everyone.
TH. Yes, I suppose it's natural to want to share one's good fortune with others.
R. Well, don't take offense, but you care for your own soul, and leave me to mine; I'll be all right.
47. All that you accept regarding human nature is not necessarily, nor especially, all that of which you approve.
48. When the transcendent glow descends upon you, then surely bask in it for its duration; but try no to rue its departure, for our counterpart is not up to sustaining any one state of consciousness for long.
49. The very feeling of loving your humanness, and that in others, is in itself transcendent of you.
50. That you are more relaxed about the "lower" parts of your nature: your frailties, folly, vulnerabilities, lusts, greed, to name a few--in no way means that you'll feel free to indulge them all, or at all times uninhibitedly; after all, you do have your moral character to keep you "in line," to keep you upright; and if not your moral character, then your own self-respect and sense of decency; and if not even these to keep you on the "straight and narrow path," then the eye and judgment of others and society.
51. Being at ease with your failings and shortcomings and needs and impulses makes you more aware of yourself, since you no longer push away the unattractive or vulnerable sides of your nature as though they had no right to their place. And being sensitively aware of yourself, you are more likely to develop your transcendent side more expansively. And -- if you happen to be interested -- this process of growing awareness has its sure foundation in the Buddhist and Zen path of life.
52. It is so much easier, and freer, to prefer not to submit to one's natural inclinations in a particular areas than to feel compelled to because one must be ideal, perfect, or spiritual, or sensitive, or all loving, or all good, or because of sin or retribution.
53. Fall a thousand times, and stalwartly pick yourself up a thousand times and go on. Never despair. Living transcendently with one's fallible nature is the good, valiant fight. Let us win the race. Be sure that one day you will not fall so many times.
54. The wisdom of human-transcendence gives you your humanness in good cheer, and your transcendence in good measure.
55. "Being down to earth" -- that is the meaning of our humanness; getting to the order of our life is the meaning of our existence.
56. The ideal life: An acceptance of you as you are with a constant looking forward and up toward your ideals and hopes. And if you have renounced all ideals and hope, then let that be your acceptance, let that be your transcendence, let that be your nobility, your heroism, your freedom.
57. With human-transcendence one has his humanness in friendship when his transcendent mood or interest dispels; and of course he has his transcendence when under the pressure or oppression of his humanness. In either case, no depression, no boredom -- our two psychological scourges.
58. Being aware (the work of transcendence) one's very human moods of boredom, irritability, impatience, depression, and the like, makes it easier to deal with them, and so transcend them. In this way, one is not taken unawares so easily; he knows what to expect of himself, of his humanness.
59. So you made a mistake! so you spilt the milk! Smile at it. delight in your imperfections.
60. Defy life's harshness, meanness, adversities, horrors! This is being the overman, the transcendent humanist, the master of the situation.
61. Go ahead dig a ditch, sweep the floor, clean the toilet, the dog's mess; get your hands dirty, sweat under the hot sun, exhaust yourself physically. don't be so all mental, so all spiritual, so all dainty, so all meticulous. Live your human, earthly life lustily in delight of your clay humanity. It will do you good, will give savor to your life. And then when you return to your higher leanings, you will be refreshed, and more receptive--and more deserving.
62. How one becomes stalwart.-- by facing the brunt and hardships of his-her life and humanness; not by turning aside from them at such times. Face them, deal with them, flow with them, and they will respect you. Resist them and they will resist you, and you will suffer. Labor, sweat, plough under the scorching sun! Are you thirsty? Then be thirsty for a bit ; don't be so quick to drink; bear it a little. Be a man, be a woman: physically, mentally, morally, spiritually -- all the same, in the final analysis. We need courage, strong and true, so as not to buckle under the force of life. Meet force with force.
63. In accepting noble our humanness we are not so much in resistance against it, and so are better able to deal with it, when necessary.
64. Today I love mankind, but yesterday I didn't; and I know I have hated it too. But that is natural enough; since there is much to love about human life, much to be indifferent about, much to hate. We would be fools to love every side of humankind, be inhuman to be indifferent to everything human, and be hateful ourselves to hate it without letup.
65. When you need the aesthetic feeling, the sense of transcendence, then turn to works of beauty whether in art, science, nature, religion, philosophy, meditation, contemplation. But! Remember, this ethereal mood will pass, and then back to your other side you return: your all-too-human self. don't forget!
66. The only certainty in our psychic life is that we traverse from one mood to the next, one energy level to the next; and it is this certainty to which we must adjust.
67. Our humanness is ultimately fallible, weak; our transcendence ultimately infallible, strong.
68. Do you feel silly? Good. Be silly, then.
69. We want to be known as this, but not that; rather, let us be known as this and that. Let us have the daring to take such a step.
70. Yes you must maintain your dignity amidst the play of your various opposing elements; that is your honor. But who can sustain this dignity at all times, especially when alone, or with those with whom you live, or in your thoughts -- are your thoughts always so dignified and refined? Relax your dignified stance at times; it can be a bother, a burden, a bore to others -- but then you know this, don't you.
71. Delight in the diversities of life, of human life, as you joy in the unity, the beauty, the pure, the sublime, that is inherent to life without feeling embarrassed or ashamed if you go from "the sublime to the ridiculous," if you play the fool at times; but be the wise fool.
72. Joy to life! And though we suffer for it often enough -- joy to life nonetheless.
73. Impermanency is the soul of diversity.
74. Let your absolutes go, or I should say, your ideals of absolutes. There is nothing absolute in life; and that is where you are now: in life.
75. A realistic idealist is he or she who does not rule out the possibility and effect of ideals, but is realistic about them.
76. Coming to recognize and accept life's diversities, however ugly, bizarre and terrible they may be, amazingly relaxes one from tensions of one-sided, narrow attitudes and beliefs.
77. It is easier to love when there is more in life, in oneself, and in others, to love. This truth alone would justify the reality of diversity.
78. Self-freedom is the freedom that keeps one from being narrowed into isolated, stifling beliefs and attitudes. Open up! Clear your mind. Free your mind.
79. Diversity is the other side of unity, is its manifestations. Unity underlies diversity; in which case, what we have is diversity-in-unity.
80. However we may make light of our humanness, let us never forget that it is a serious, dead serious, affair. Frivolity, jest, folly, vanity, levity, are all fine in their place, as are the aesthetic, the moral, the spiritual. Let us not be of too good a cheer, let us not laugh too heartily, too long; else the force of life burgeoning in us will have the last laugh.
81. A: I don't believe in hating anyone or anything.
B: But you accept the opposites in life, don't you?
A: I do.
B: Then why can't you hate as well?
A: Because hate is destructive.
B: What? You would want to eliminate destruction?
82. Let guilt go! Give it a kick on its way out. You did, or did not, do it; All right, make amends if that is what is called for; and then pick yourself up and go on. That is your glory: that you can pick yourself up and go on; and perhaps in a more constructive, way. Don't crucify yourself because you did wrong. You will always do wrong in one way or another, more or less, as we all will, being fallible human beings. The quest for the transcendent-humanist is to aim for less than more often; but on our way, let us be easy on ourselves.
83. A deep harmony between inner polarities is needed - an ability to shift from one polarity to the next in oneself and in life as they occur with the least inner conflict and suffering.
84. Thank God -- should there be one -- for human diversity; and damn my ignorance when I judge others whose life style does no harm to me or others.
85. Awareness and acceptance of diversity is a humbling experience, for sure; but it is a humility that uplifts, strengthens, cheers, interests, fascinates. This is the humility I'm sure Christ meant.
86. Rather than put on airs of our importance or superiority, let us put on an air of cheerful, though strong, humanity toward all differences.
87. Yes, I am weak, but I prefer more to be strong; yes, I can be unjust, but I prefer to be just; yes, I lust, but I prefer more to love; yes, I am excessive, but I prefer more to be moderate; yes, I am inconsiderate, but I prefer more...and on and on. In sum, yes, surely I am all-too-human, but I prefer to be mostly transcendently human.
88. Accepting in a relaxed way your lusts, your weaknesses, your limitations, your fears, your violence, your weaknesses, your anger, your resentments, and all other undesirable traits, does not mean that you would give way to them at all times; after all, there is the other spirited, resisting side of you too that strives for more abundant life; and as it turns out in the natural order of things, lack of resistance restricts such abundance. But this resistance against oneself is not to be one of a brooding hostility, but one of a healthy competition of transcendence against humanness, and vice versa. Let neither side gain the victory -- it couldn't in any case; but keep both in the game aiming for the victory, and perhaps even coming close to it, but not knowing till the last breath who the winner is -- who has more points, so to speak.
89. Life is an endless becoming; and so, an infinity of forms and activities and variety .In other words, diversity is just as infinite (and eternal?) as unity .There is not one without the other - so my limited mind conceives of it.
90. We must be pliable, flexible; must lean with the wind of multiformity
91. If you are partial to good only, then injustice, evil -- your own too -- will repel you; if you expect to be perfect, beautiful of soul only, then imperfection, ugliness, coarseness -- your own too -- will repulse you; if you expect to be intelligent only and right at all times, then ignorance and error -- your own too -- will rankle you. You will be judging others -- and yourself -- ever. But the free spirit is above judging, for he-she is too engrossed in the play of opposites in life to be bound by mere judging, which has become a veritable bore to him; something he-she has outgrown long ago.
92. Just as you expect diversity and change in life itself, expect the same in people. Inconsistency is the specific human form of diversity and change. There are few, if any, people who remain constant in anyone way; life moves on, life takes its toll. It is the transcendent element in us that remains constant, not the human element; and it is the former which accounts for whatever constancy there is between people. Love is its name.
93. Expect much of yourself, but not too much; don't break under the pressure. And don't for get that you live with others too. Can they live comfortably with your austerity?
94. Life is a diverse unity.
95. Diversity is the given; unity an inference -- and not necessarily a valid one; but certainly a possible, even probable one. Reason, being itself diverse, cannot penetrate the given to the necessity of unity. Unity can only be intuited-which, of course, does not logically, empirically, prove it; yet in quite another way does prove it; for, from whence does this intuition of unity arise? It is too universal an intuition for it to be meaningless, an illusion. And quite as a matter of fact, it is experienced by the rare individual (and perhaps not so rare as thought): insights that reveal truths that show a unity of interaction ( the atomic theory) or of evolution (natural selection) that empirical reality in itself could never reveal. These intuitive insights can be considered transcendent. So we have intuition and experience of unity, which are valid forms of reality.
95. A: Strive to be good, beautiful of soul.
B: But I don't want always to be good or beautiful of soul: as a matter of fact. I can't.
96. Life is as much a unified whole as it is a diversified whole.
97. Because you are liberal and open in your attitude toward life's diversities does not mean that you can expect others to be at your insistence; so don't force your attitude on others -- at least not in large doses!
98. The free, open flowing attitude of diversity does not come easy at all times; it has to be worked at; for there is much and many to oppose such an attitude.
99. The freedom that the diverse life offers the individual to be or do what he likes with relative impunity is like the freedom one feels with a large savings account. He has no intention of spending that money; it is his security. Similarly, one may feel free to do what he likes and rests content in that feeling without ever desiring to follow through that feeling. But to know that he could, without embarrassment or guilt, relaxes him in the sense that he is human in all respects, and so could fall, but most likely he will not. He is concerned more with fostering the positive, expanding aspects of his humanity. That is just the way he is; and perhaps there is not much he can do about it. Character is destiny saith the old Greek sage.
100. To recognize, accept, live with, human frailties in oneself and in others make it much easier to live with oneself and with others; for we learn not to expect too much from ourselves and others.
101. Schopenhauer: "And what temptations we cannot overcome, give in to them." This is a passage -- and a truth -- that will always bother very much idealists, perfectionists, those of the spirit; especially coming from such a philosophic sage.
102. Whenever I do something impulsively, irrationally, then am I reminded of my primeval origins embedded in my cells. This side of me is as much -- if not more so -- a part of me as my rational nature.
103. The savage resides in you, be sure; but be wary that it does not come out of you. You will regret it.
104. Thoreau: "Our lives will not attain to be spherical by lying on one or the other side forever; but only by resigning ourselves to the law of gravity in us, will our axis be coincident with the celestial axis and [only] by revolving incessantly through all circles, shall we acquire a perfect sphericity.” -- The attitude of human-transcendence right to the point.
105. Walk proud that you are human, but soften that pride with the grace of your transcendence.
106. Let us love our frailties as we do our strengths, our folly as we do our wisdom, our playas we do our seriousness. Let us be human in our transcendence. and transcendent in our humanness.
107. Refuse to make others make you feel embarrassed, guilty, a fool, for enjoying simple, silly, "deca- dent," pleasures -- for being who you are. So you are a professor, a doctor, a judge, a minister, a lawyer; are you not also a fun-loving human being? --I hope you are, or heaven help those who live with you. Be serious when you must; but play otherwise. Be this and that: a sage and a clown, an authority figure and a friend, a classicist and a romantic. an idealist and a realist, a person of precision and a person who also makes, and freely admits his mistakes, an artist and an artisan; one who works with his mind and his body, who loves his spirit and his body. This open attitude is all very well; but the timing and self-command necessary for this attitude take a wisdom of sorts.
108. Come, let us put on the new man! -- not only for ourselves, but for our descendents who will look upon us with noble and majestic pride as we do our Greek and Roman ancestry.
109. Leave off the stance of being Dr. this or Monsignor that; Sir Importance, Lord Superior, Saint Sage. If you are these by natural capacity or social appointment, then fine; it is the stance to which I refer .
110. It can be a complicated, confusing matter to consider the possibility of corning to love the lower rungs of our humanity; but with the right understanding and point of view, it can be a quite simple, natural matter; for then one is with life all the way, not only partly with one foot on earth and the other in heaven, not quite on one nor in the other.
111. Camus: "Rama Krishna on trade:
'The truly wise man is he who feels contempt for nothing.'
Do not confuse sanctity with idiocy ."
112. And what does not feeling contempt for anything imply but that such a wise individual has come to accept and love the diversity and opposites in both human life and all other forms of life.
113. There is beauty and goodness in life just as there is ugliness and evil. We've known this all along. Life has it that way, and who are we to deny or reject the one over the other? True, the one delights and the other pains; but are we such softlings that we would want only the delightful?
114. You say your life has been a wreck. Others did it to you, more than you yourself. You have no promise in your life. Rage, and resentment war in your mind. Depression sinks it often enough. You have no God to turn to. A few friends make it possible for you to go on. Yet your life is on the wane. Your humanity has fairly much done you in. Nothing seems left...except your transcendence! And what can your transcendence do for you? Well, let's take a review of some of its aspects:-- our sense of beauty. our acts of love, our tendency toward goodness, toward right, toward grace, toward being, toward contemplation, meditation; our impulse to create, to know, to understand, to observe, to reflect, to analyze; our intuitions and visions of universal truths; nirvanic states of pure bliss-light-power. Of these aspects, which appeal to you
115. Life itself is ugly and cruel; and humans and animals are merely instruments of this bleak side of life. They didn't ask for it; it was biologically given free of charge. and so, let us be a little more hesitant before we judge too severely, too cruelly, the evil that comes over us impulsively. Fortunately, most of us are not so easily overcome by such force; but others by temperament and constitution are mere playthings to this force of evil in life. They haven't a chance; they're victims, as we all are in our own way. So, why all this judgment and prejudice and bigotry and condemnation and humiliation?
Let us consider the sexual side of us for a minute to make my point stronger. Those given uninhibitedly to their sexual nature we denominate as whores, rakes, degenerates, perverts. but did they freely choose their particular proclivity, I ask you proponents of free will ? When puberty washed over them like a flood, did they, could they, carefully deliberate whether puberty should or should not have such a volcanic effect on them? Was it their choice to be so sexually sensitive that they become engulfed by the least sexual stimulation, and can think of hardly anything else? Are they to be condemned for their "sins" to everlasting hellfire for their natural tendencies? Rather condemn life than these poor souls who received such an untoward fate -- untoward not so much for the individual who might very well be content with his endowment, but untoward because of the price society exacts on them in ridicule, condemnation, rejection, punishment. Not to say that the extremes of sexuality do not have to be kept in check; but they don't have to be degraded. After all, in the final say, it is life itself that is the culprit.
116. But how many can attain, let alone maintain, this point of view? and how many of these can put such a point of view in practice?
117. Still, there is always tomorrow, always something to look forward to; and the least, if not the most, we can say about people in general is that they get bored with anyone way of looking at matters. And so, for no other reason than boredom, they might try a new way of life. And if so, then, my fellow men and women, we have a future to look forward to.
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These introductory remarks, then, offer a general understanding of the wisdom of human-transcendence, an understanding that can become a practical reality and help lead us to the self- freedom of which we seek. Were we to summarize these remarks into an overall outline, an understanding of this human-transcendence outlook would become clearer, and so, more workable.
Accordingly, we could view the human side of us from five broad perspectives: pleasure, pain, need, want, and self; and the transcendent side of us from five broad perspectives as well: truth, right, understanding, grace, and being.
We feel both physical and psychological pleasures and pains; we have both physical and psychological needs and wants; and it is the self of us that harbors, bears, these pleasures and pains, needs and wants separately and interactively. It is these attributes that make up the human composite being. Basically, tension is what prevails in this human realm: tension between pleasure and pain, between various wants and needs, and the self which is made to deal with all of these variables, consciously, subconsciously, and unconsciously.
It is the transcendent in us that is concerned with the truth (psychological, moral, aesthetic, spiritual truth), with right (that which is justly right), with understanding (self and other-directed understanding; understanding the meaning of life and the world), with grace (beauty of person and action and works), and with being (the sheer awareness of, the being, one's mental condition -- whether of pain, pleasure, want, need, or self -- without judgment, analysis, or any other form of rational cognition; as well as the contemplation of being in its universal meaning).
Our transcendence eases the tension of our human side inasmuch as it moderates our human traits into the proper perspective of feeling and action so that we experience our pains and pleasures, our needs and wants, our self, in perspective of what is true and right, with understanding and grace, and in accordance with being simply that pain or pleasure, need or want, or state of self-consciousness.
If anything, human-transcendence is a intuitive psychology: a psychology of the wisdom of the human species -- of which we all are and share. The more in touch we are with the wisdom of our species, the more understanding we are of ourselves and of others. And so it is incumbent upon us to come to under- stand not only our human psychology but our transcendent, or intuitive, psychology as well. The more understanding we derive, the more meaningful our lives will become regardless of our station or circumstances.
And this understanding takes a kind of heroism because of the psychological barriers and fears we must break through to attain the first glimmerings of this understanding. Once the glimmerings appear, though, you will then know that the glimmerings will become brighter and more constant; and you will be on your way to your self-freedom.
And what are these glimmerings? They are the sunken, intuitive truths of your life, and of life itself, surfacing to your consciousness. They are not only the painful, repressed, or otherwise blocked truths, but truths that define you as a person apart from your repressions and anxieties and rage and expectations of others. They are truths that you can begin to clothe yourself with which fit you comfortably as the individual person that you are and had lost. They are complex (raveled) psychological truths, but simple (clear) intuitive truths. An intuitive truth is beyond self-consciousness; and so is transconscious. When an intuitive truth surfaces to the conscious mind and influences (changes) our psychology, we then are in a transconscious state of understanding; and with that understanding comes the rush of freedom -- freedom from ignorance's rule in a particular situation. We act truly, wisely, from that quantum of understanding; and depending upon the range of that quantum of understanding, our entire lives could change for the better -- regardless of the ruins we leave behind. When the truth - an intuitive truth -- illuminates us; we can never return to our former darkness. Then we can accept the pain of change, of development, of freedom regardless of what is at stake; for first of all, in a way, we have no choice but to act wisely; and secondly, with a taste of freedom, who would want to return to slavery again, except those who know nothing else, or who are slavish by nature; and thirdly, this intuitive truth puts us in touch -- humanly -- with our transcendence. Thus our human-transcendence.
What we are to explore then is the human condition in search of understanding -- higher understanding -- so that we may click in to, make contact with, our intuition; which is the reservoir, so to speak, of the wisdom of our species -- our transcendence. And being in contact with our transcendence, we expect that we will be on the road to our self-freedom. And with this self- freedom we will finally be the person we always wanted to, but failed to come up to. and what is this person, but the moral, spiritual individual who acts rightly and lovingly, if not at all times, then most of the time; the virtuous person who is generous, brave, considerate, patient, at the right time, in the right circumstances, with the right person. This is the person who has freed himself from the bondage of his ego-self, with its fears, anxieties, lusts, impulses, insecurities enough so that he acts in wisdom. Nothing matters more than that he acts in wisdom -- which is rightly, truthfully, understandingly, in grace, and in touch with his essential being: his soul.
This state of grace is "devoutly to be wished," however unrealistic it may be to a particular person. This is the transcendent specter that hounds him through his life and failings to the grave. He achieves this wisdom at times, and in part; but hardly ever to the extent that he strives for, that he idealizes. He is forever caught in the wheel of life: now this-now-that. Inconsistency, inconstancy are his life; yet he struggle on for more consistency, more constancy, more virtue, more wisdom -- more transcendence, in a word.
The tragedy of this state of affairs for so many idealists is that they cannot reconcile themselves to their humanness; they cannot come to terms with it. Their transcendence is too demanding on them; and so they strive and struggle and suffer to attain transcendence to the exclusion and detriment of their humanness. They see themselves as degraded sinners, moral weaklings, carnal animals; natural functions bother them very much. They cry out in their souls, "Purity before all else!" By feeling degraded, they in turn degrade their humanity; and those closest to them suffer for it. they must live on a plane higher than the vulgar, mundane masses. They resent, and criticize, and judge, and deplore gross in others and in themselves. Normal human sensuality, sexuality, money-making, pettiness are below them even though they themselves are subject to the same given the appropriate circumstances.
It takes many of these idealists years to come to a faint understanding and acceptance of their own fallibility, and weakness, and vulnerabilities; to the realization that they too are all-too-human, and that most likely will never near the high moral and transcendent ideals for which they for so many years strove and suffered. They realize that the lack of understanding of their psychology, their transcendence, have been mainly the cause of their failure. They may have tried all the moralities, all the religions, all the psychologies, all the therapies, all the philosophies; and however much understanding they had gained, they still find themselves empty-handed, so to speak; still subject to their own human peculiarities, susceptibilities, vulnerabilities, weaknesses, neuroses. They find themselves giving either too much credence to their psychology to the exclusion of their transcendence, or vice versa; and they somehow cannot balance, reconcile, the two.
This is where the wisdom of human-transcendence comes into play; why both a psychological and transcendent understanding of oneself is so crucial to attain to a measure of wisdom. One must face his vices (excesses) before he can attain his virtues (medians). The more psychological understanding a person attains the more receptive he is to intuitive understanding. And the more intuitive understanding one attains the more in touch with wisdom he will be -- which is the optimum for w
