Is Becoming Transcended Desirable?

Transcendentalism is a philosophy that values the spiritual over the material in the belief that man is essentially good, and should strive to be “transcended” to a higher state of being, fulfilling their potential. The actual way to become transcended though, has being constantly changing, with some claiming the need to be one with nature, while other claimed the need for self-reliance. Despite the idealistic philosophy, becoming transcended is hardly as desirable as it seems, for there are various impracticality in the philosophy that are results of human nature, which accounts for it’s ever changing meaning of transcendentalism as people strive to make it practical.

  The first impediment is that men are not completely good, and becoming transcended could only happen to a small portion of the population. Those who are forced to become transcended are irrevocably separated from the rest of humanity, resulting in isolation. It is a fact that humans require companionship with others. The need to belong is build into our psychology, and is in fact the third level of basic human needs in Maslow's hierarchy of needs, two levels below self-actualization which is equivalent to becoming transcended. Becoming transcended while others are not deprives one of this basic need. This is sharply portrayed in cast away, when Chuck became marooned on the island by himself. His loneliness became so unbearable that he resorted to imagining a volleyball to be a human companion. This caused him to do reckless things in order to save the volleyball. His realization that he was arguing with a volleyball one night also threw him into a rage, highlighting the importance of other people in maintaining a stable mental state. When Chuck returns, he found out that his wife had left him. Becoming transcended results in the loss of loved ones , and thus should be avoided.

  There is a need for the material before one can take care of the spiritual. Transcendentalism promotes the...