Biosocial transcendence is derived from the literal connection to future generations by passing on one’s genes, history, values, and possessions, or by identification with an ancestral line or ethnic or national identity that perseveres indefinitely.
The theological mode entails faith in a soul and the possibility of literal immortality; it can also be a more symbolic sense of spiritual connection to an ongoing life force.
Creative transcendence is obtained by contributing to future generations through innovations and teaching in art, science, and technology.
Natural transcendence is identifying with all life, nature, or even the universe. This is ultimately how Charles Lindbergh found his peace. Recall that Lindbergh was consumed by his fear of death and spent most of his life in urgent pursuit of literal immortality. However, he had a change of heart on a visit to Africa and embraced natural immortality: “When I watch wild animals of an African plain, my civilized values…give way to a timeless vision in which life embraces the necessity of death. I see individual animals as mortal manifestations of immortal life streams…. In death, then, is the eternal life which men have sought so blindly for centuries, not realizing they had it as a birthright. Only by dying, can we continue living.”
Finally, experiential transcendence is characterized by a sense of timelessness accompanied by a heightened sense of awe and wonder. Certain drugs can foster this kind of experience, as can meditation, various cultural rituals, and activities that provide a sense of flow, of losing oneself in contemplation and enjoyment. And such experiential states are most fulfilling when they occur in the context of one of the four other modes: playing with your children, engaging in spiritual rituals, throwing yourself into creative activity, being immersed in the natural world.
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