Well said. It is indeed the problem of finding meaning in life, so even if someone doesn't think of it in the abstract terms I used (Why is there anything at all rather than nothing?), the point is to not take things for granted, and to do that we need to appreciate them in some nontrivializing terms. We need to recognize their strangeness or preciousness, by getting out of our comfort zone or "lifeworld," and putting things in a cosmic context.

Shamans certainly worked with the community, but I think McEvilley's point is that psychonautics, or the exploring of inner space is sort of a one-person job. It's like writing and some other arts. We can share our work with others, and collaborate, but the work itself is often done alone. It's like dying, too.