I couldn't agree more, you've made really great points that allowed me to reflect on my own approach to my mental wellbeing. I honestly needed to see this comment right now. Thank you!
If you want me to really tickle your noodle, consider that a lot of modern-day issues stem from a quest for transcendence in a society that has largely dismantled the institutions capable of delivering it. In particular, I am of the (somewhat provocative) opinion that things like radical Islamic terrorism, fringe climate activism, and the more virulent brands of third-wave feminism are all, at their core, performative quests for such transcendence.
But that's all secondary to the fact that I am glad my comment is helpful to you on a personal level :)
Interesting thought. If you have a blog, I'd like to read more.
That sounds like a middlebrow dismissal of what these groups are. I think you can describe them with more tangible psychological/philosophical motivations which I don't find useful to describe as "transcendence" e.g.
- belonging : the appeal of the gang, the cult is to find acceptance, your tribe, your family. If life has thrown you to the curb and vulnerable, such organisations will take you in.
- guru syndrome : the search for a paternal figure to structure and make sense of the world, to surrender to, to love, to give devotion, to follow, no matter the path
- meaning : a thirst, an existential emptiness, a desperation for life to have a purpose, any purpose
- rationality : extreme groups are often fighting a real injustice and the tactics often have reasoned philosophical basis - we may not like them, may consider them immoral, but they are often more deeply thoughtful than who they fight
- emotion : the injustices are often personally experienced by their adherents, they are angry, they may seek not just redress but revenge, it's a cause which attracts them as a moth to a flame
- stimulation : the dreary day to day, the monotony vs. the thrill of action, the fight or in some cases straight-up sociopathic indulgence
People are giving themselves to higher-order causes beyond material comfort. They are organizing around rituals of belonging, gurus, directly seeking meaning, applying rational thinking towards advancing their values, experiencing deep personal emotion around systemic or cosmic injustices, and deriving a sense of elevation among "the dreary day to day".