I have, in the dark recesses of my mind, various gods. Various ideas which have solidified. Ideas to which I pay homage. Ideas to which I prostrate myself on occasion (knowingly or otherwise). Ideas with which I plead. Jealous and unreasonable gods.
Other persons maintain in their minds the idea of serving a reasonable and benevolent god. This is all at once a healthy adaptation and a fixed set of training wheels.
A thinking man unlearns his gods one by one, jealous or otherwise.
A fearful man hides from his gods, letting them grow old and fester in darkness.
A vengeful man scorns them, thereby granting them the menace that he loves to lash out against.
A thinking man examines his gods. What do they want? Why are they here? What is their texture, their vibe, their degree of solidity?
Some gods are simple and go by common names such as Money or Drink. Freedom, Fertility, Father, Mother…
Others lie in shadow, and take no name. They rule by proxy.