Whether you are religious or not, you can agree with the fact that humans have always found something to worship. It may be the sun, idols, animals or even ourselves.

Worship, although often used in a religious context, is something we all do. Worship is not a noun, it is a verb, and we all partake in doing it. We all have something in our life, whether knowingly or not, that we strive towards.

Where we put most of our energy and focus is the thing we worship. That may be a God or your career. It is your choice. However, never fall into the trap of believing we do not worship anything. For centuries humans have been doing this, and we are not exempt.

Worship is not just singing or praying to something you desire. It is a lifestyle choice to act in accordance with the thing you place as a prized possession. Singing and praying are expressions of worship, but the person who truly worships leads a lifestyle of following and obeying that thing.

Many of us, unless religious, do not make conscious choices in choosing what to worship. For the most part, we live our lives and do the things that bring about the most happiness. Nevertheless, just because you are unaware of what you worship, it does not mean you have nothing to follow.

Another thing to consider is that we can also go through periods of worship. It does not need to be a constant in our lives as a God in religion. Instead, it might be the promotion you want or the house you are trying to buy. In most cases, it is the thing we place the most value on in our lives. And it is that thing that could lead us to suffer or joy and relief.

In this brief article, I seek to highlight the importance of worship in each of our lives. Dependent on what we desire the most, our behaviours and pursuits of life change. And these inevitably lead us to a life well lived or a life of sorrow.

The Things We Choose to Worship

Humans are programmed to desire something more valuable than they are. It gives us hope and brings us together. The story in the Bible and the Torah of Israel building a fake God is insightful.

In short, the Israelites (people of Israel) enter a period where God and their leader (Moses) are no longer present. In this time, the Israelites believe that both Moses and God are not coming back, so they do something astonishing. They get Moses’ brother Aaron to build them something to worship.

So, Aaron takes all their jewellery, melts it, and uses the liquid to make them an idol. The idol becomes their God, and they hold a party to celebrate the arrival of their new king.

Whether you believe the story or not is not the point here. The interesting part of this story is that the humans could not be left alone with nothing to worship. They needed something to drive towards, something to give them energy and hope. In this case, an idol made from precious jewellery was enough to do that. However, what is it in your case?

Why do you wake up every morning? What is the motivator behind your living? If everything was gone, what is the thing you would keep? These questions point you to the object of your worship.

We do not choose to worship things that are lower than us or have no value. These things do not motivate us and give us no reason to come together. We worship things we consider great, like the sun, an immortal God or money.

The danger here is not the things we choose to worship, but the value we place on those things. And the things we place value on become the things we strive towards in our day-to-day lives.

Striving Towards the Death of Ourselves

When we lose a sense of what is truly valuable in our lives, we worship things that lead us to misery. Without us knowing, we become motivated to do things that make us worse off in the end.

Unfortunately, in a world of false personas and fake news, we no longer know what is valuable. Many are chasing after things that are not even attainable or very unlikely to happen.

We strive towards a life of pain and suffering when we worship those things that are below us. And we often turn to these low things for worship thanks to acting upon negative emotions.

I have found three emotions that cause me to worship those things that lead to an unsatisfying life.

Jealousy

When we seek to live the life of others, we often neglect ourselves. Without us knowing, we begin to worship their lifestyle and pursue it for ourselves. The resentment towards someone’s happiness drives us to become inauthentic individuals. What satisfied us before is no longer enough, and we run towards something we perceive as greater.

Impatience

When we are unwilling to wait our turn, we tend to worship things that only bring short term rewards. We all know that wealth comes with time. We need to accumulate knowledge and experience before wealth comes. Yet, due to impatience, we see people worshipping quick money and even going to the extent of crime to get what they desire.

Hopelessness

Like the Israelites, when we feel like there is nothing to live for, we turn to things that have a lower value. In moments of hopelessness, these things appear luxurious and of high value. But in the end, it only leads to regret, suffering and pain.

What Should We Worship?

Although difficult, we should worship those things that make us more valuable to others. Humans are self-centred and often worship things that lead to a benefit in themselves.

When we are motivated by the collective, what we find valuable tends to be beneficial to both us and others. The golden rule, “treat others the way you would like to be treated”, is a perfect example of this.

If we are motivated by selfish desires and worship things like status, fame and money, we will live unsatisfying lives. What we worship should call us to higher values and constantly shape us to become better individuals.