Our Worship Has Come Full Circle

In ancient times, objects, events, and beings guided our worship.

Ancient Objects

There were ancestral carvings made of clay, stone or wood.

There were gigantic trees, mountains, and boulders whose presence and sight struck us in awe.

There were natural, seemingly otherworldly formations -- such as gems and crystals -- discovered in the earth or its cavities.

We worshipped these objects for they had some unexplainable effect on us.

Ancient Events

If the forests were lit ablaze during a thunderstorm, it's because we had angered the thunder gods. 

If an earthquake destroyed our village, it was a punishment inflicted by the gods of the land. 

If rain did not fall and we could not quench our thirst, the water gods were testing our faith.

We felt powerless in the midst of these events, so we cried out to those that determined them.

Ancient Beings

When the village shaman's concoctions cured our ailing children, she was gifted our most treasured possessions.

When the local soothsayer, by an absolute stroke of luck, predicted an eclipse, he was determined to be a supernatural being.

When a tribal leader was victorious in conquest over and over again, he was branded a god of war, and a king of kings.

The beings that successfully challenged the odds, for better or worse, were made worthy of our worship.

And then came the beliefs in the unseen, the untouched, and the unexperienced.

The religions. The faiths. The philosophies.

These beliefs were compelling. They delighted those of us who believed in one and angered those of us that believed in another.

Wars were waged. Lives were lost. Voices were silenced and stories forgotten. 

Thus, only some beliefs remained.

History repeats itself. 

Although we call ourselves believers of some faith, we spend most of our time, again guiding our worship through objects, events, and beings.

Modern Objects

There are mansions that sit atop hills overlooking affluent neighbourhoods.

There are sleek vehicles with curves that rival a voluptuous female form.

There are mineral-infused devices that we carry in our pockets and call our second brain.

We worship these objects for they have some unexplainable effect on us.

Modern Events

If the economy crashes and millions lose their jobs, it\'s because the very foundations of our systems were shaken too hard.

If the military rises in revolution and ousts our democratically appointed leaders, it\'s a message violently sent by an imperialist collective.

If famine breaks out in one country despite the abundance of food in another, it\'s a result of wilful ignorance and wilful inaction.

We feel powerless in the midst of these events, so we cry out to those that determine them.

Modern Beings

When a business leader creates an offering to service a need we never knew we had, she is handed millions of our dollars.

When charismatic but incapable individuals arise to challenge qualified incumbents who cannot speak to the hearts of the people, they are awarded the highest positions of power.

When an individual offers people a spiritual or emotional respite from the monotony of the unending rat race, she is branded a philosopher.

The beings that successfully challenged the odds, for better or worse, were made worthy of our worship.