Dear B-

Re: Prophet Totem Pole
Q: Interesting that a physical presence is so important to man with regard to worship. Icons, statues, totems, all seem to aid man in his worship.

A: Chalk it to our middle state. A mere idea will not do: In animism the believer must revere a tree, fire or something else; in Hinduism an idol and in Buddhism some ritual. Think of secular world. What is ‘the star and stripes’ but a piece of cloth elevated to represent a nation's pride? Of course with our sophistication ideas also take on complexity: free democratic ideals as interpreted by the American President, VP et al can be reduced to dollars and cents. They worship greenbacks. When they impose their democratic ideal in Iraq it takes the color of oil! Fantastic, uh?
The worship reveals the man and in the symbol, his quality. Haven’t the events shown how hollow is the dream of these pygmies who can’t even protect their own?: the ordinary people from predators and their megabucks. I need only cite the aftermath of Katrina to prove my point.