Practical Transcendent Living

About PTL

Practical Transcendent Living (PTL) is a dynamic approach designed for thriving in our fast-paced, complex world. This evolving framework draws on a rich tapestry of psychology, evolutionary biology, wisdom traditions, spiritual teachings, personal insights, and even pop culture. PTL forms a mosaic of truths many of us sense but have yet to articulate, providing the practical tools necessary to achieve The Unity Imperative in our daily lives.

A Universal Purpose of Life

At its core, PTL embraces a universal yet often overlooked purpose of life: to learn, grow, improve, and connect. This isn't to claim it as the sole purpose but to acknowledge a fundamental drive that propels us forward. Our evolutionary journey as Homo sapiens underscores this, showing us as natural learners and adapters, traits rooted in our evolutionary need to survive and thrive.

Our Evolutionary Roots and Modern Dilemmas

The remarkable cognitive evolution that has empowered us to shape the world also presents a paradox. The very intelligence that ensured our survival has helped us create a world vastly different from that of our hunter-gatherer relatives. This disparity between our evolutionary heritage and the challenges of modern life results in what is called "evolutionary mismatch." We now face challenges such as climate change, digital overload, and political polarization that our ancestors never encountered.

The Evolutionary Progress Paradox

Our successes, while marking progress, have inadvertently deepened this mismatch, leading to what I term the "Evolutionary Progress Paradox." This paradox suggests that our advancements, particularly in technology, while solving many problems, also exacerbate our sense of disconnection from our evolutionary roots, thus impacting our overall well-being. It's a complex issue: the world is better than it's ever been in many ways, yet we're also facing unprecedented challenges that threaten to overwhelm us.

It's Not Our Fault, But It Is Our Problem

Recognizing the roots of our discontent and disorientation in evolutionary mismatch offers a form of exoneration but also a call to action. Understanding this paradox is crucial for addressing the challenges presented in The Unity Imperative.

We Need to Level Up, Humanity!

The solution isn't to reject modernity or progress but to elevate our approach to living within it. As we become more intertwined with technology, especially AI, our collective problems demand a new level of unity. Drawing from Carl Sagan, extraordinary challenges require extraordinary unity. This unity involves transcending our primal tribalism to foster a deeper connection with all humanity, aligning closely with the goals of The Unity Imperative.

Choosing Our Views

Within the PTL approach, we understand that how we view reality is inherently subjective. We have never viewed "reality" in ways that are perfectly aligned with "truth." We are only able to take in a small sliver of data available to us at any given time. Since we've always viewed reality in ways that enhance our chances to survive and thrive, we must ask ourselves: what are we to do in this modern world? We need to transcend our old ways of thinking.

We transcend to connect. Thus, within PTL, we strive to exercise our free will to choose ways of viewing ourselves, others, and the world that foster the greater connection and unity necessitated by the challenges of this hyper-connected world of modernity. This aligns closely with the principles outlined in The Unity Pledge, emphasizing empathy, understanding, and collaboration.

PTL and
The Unity Imperative

Practical Transcendent Living provides the day-to-day framework for living out The Unity Imperative. It offers practical strategies for:

Balancing our use of technology with our need for human connection
Cultivating empathy and understanding across diverse perspectives
Applying timeless wisdom to modern challenges
Fostering unity in our personal lives, communities, and beyond

By embracing PTL, we equip ourselves with the tools needed to navigate the Evolutionary Progress Paradox and contribute to the greater unity our world desperately needs.