In my experience, most people simply need Messiahs outside of themselves, no matter what. They seem incapable of becoming fully self-aware and enlightened. Indeed, the vast majority flock to congregations, synagogues, temples, pastors, preachers, teachers, and gurus, seeking the enlightenment of others. Humans have a herd mentality, and we are programmed to follow the alphas. Those who become self-aware are in the vast minority, and indeed, they usually become the Messiahs to the rest. History is filled with examples of false-messiahs, and many have shamelessly led their herds off cliffs. One way to guard against such mis-devotion, in my opinion, is a commitment to being rational and objective. Doing so may get one branded as a closed-minded, arrogant skeptic. But it can also save one from needlessly falling off cliffs.
