Nice thoughts! As I think about what you're saying, I thought, "well, I still seem to observe 'rites' around some things, myself in particular, and isn't it true that I tend to think that my own thoughts are, in some sense, 'supreme?'" So could I say that I worship me or my thoughts? Maybe. What do you think?

@AlistairX You could in a sense I suppose, but I resist playing into the typical theist line that "everyone worships something, even if it's only themselves". The implication being that being an unbeliever is worship of self as counterfeit god. They're always trying to disacknowledge our actual reasoning for not affording belief to the unsubstantiated, because that is way easier than engaging with ideas for which they have no actual counter-ideas.

I do not think the need to worship or to submit to external authority to be inherent to humans. I think the need for belonging and refuge is generally inherent ... most mentally healthy people have some kind of social needs because we are hyper-social creatures. That does not have to degenerate into tribalism or mindless subservience to anyone or anything else or to external ideas, though.

There may have been a time for most people when it was a survival advantage to find the strongest clan or tribe and be subsumed within it; that might have been a rational choice under the circumstances, as you would exchange individuality for protection and some division of labor. It probably explains why we are still somewhat inclined that way. But increasingly it ill serves us in the modern world. Diversity is strength now; now conformity is the path to class hatred, xenophobia, and similar ills.

I definitely didn't mean worshipping an actual god.

I meant worship as dedicating time to, being awed by, etc. But I do get that feeling of giving away power. And I think I both like and dislike that feeling, depending on the context I guess.

Interesting!

Any particularly one or so that you can recommend?

@AlistairX Kali Ma or Ganesh

Yeah, there is a massive hemlock on my property that, when the light hits it right, I sometimes think that if I was a bit more primitive, I could easily worship it.

I listened to that american gods book a bit back and thought that it's hard not to love Odin, though it's hard not to hate him too.

@AlistairX Yes, because he procreated with Frigg and Thor was one of their offspring. Also, remember that we still have three of our days of the week named after them.

Let's keep playing. So I could jive with the earth answer except that I'm pretty sure that the earth is becoming less hospitable for humans (and no I'm not going to take the 2 minutes necessary to google the answer because it probably will take longer than just 2 minutes), and ultimately the earth isn't going to last, so I think humans will be leaving this planet eventually. Thus the space ship that takes humans off the earth is, in a sense, more worthy of worship than the earth itself, no?

Works for me! What are you reverent of?

That's logical.

That's cool. What about the ocean do you love?

@AlistairX It's the ''mother'' of us all.

Best answer! And wow, you look a lot like my brother, it keeps frightening me and making me excited at the same time.

@AlistairX Well, they say everyone has a doppelgänger. Although, it is intriguing ... we could play practical jokes on unsuspecting folks

Nice!