The Desperate Search for Hope in a Lonely World

Moving beyond religion means finding other paths for an impassioned, spiritual journey

In this three-part series, we’ll explore why the decline of traditional religion doesn’t mean the end of spirituality.

__

Modern religious stand-ins—from QAnon to cosplay, K-pop to Disney Adults—check all the boxes of traditional religion: they provide meaning, purpose, ritual, and community. Of those four, community is the most valuable to today's disciples.

The most influential driver of our newfound spirituality is our loneliness. 

It seems we’ve never needed it more. In the 90s, only 16% of Americans had two or less friends. Today, nearly a third of Americans have two or less friends. Since the 90s, there’s been a 20% drop in Americans who say they have one person to call their “best friend.”

Perhaps that’s because 30% of people claim they don’t even know how to make a new friend.

Today, one in five Americans say it’s been at least five years since they last made a new friend. After all, the number one place Americans make new friends is... the workplace. Oof.

This was of course before the pandemic worsened these numbers.

In the face of isolation, what we get is a lust for collective effervescence. Trend, counter-trend; cause, effect.

We’re no longer alone. Together, Swifties celebrate album drop holidays, devoutly studying lyrics and album art symbolism, ritualistically purchasing tickets, and passionately defending their creed and preacher. Their intensity goes as far as prompting the Justice Department to open up an antitrust investigation against Ticketmaster. The sway of Swifties changes laws.

Religion offers an opportunity to transcend ourselves, link arms with like-minded users, and rekindle our spirituality in sync.

Bonding over cryptic song lyrics, diets, shitcoins, fanfic, and anti-work—the pursuit of belonging is an impassioned, spiritual journey.

Stability

Belonging breeds stability, direction. Traditional religions previously built in this structure, organizing people and routine, and giving guidance on how we should approach our lives.

But as these rigid institutions are questioned and dissolve, we seek out answers and that sense of grounding elsewhere.

As Tara Isabella Burton writes in Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World, “Traditional religions, traditional political hierarchies, and traditional understandings of society have been unwilling or unable to offer compellingly meaningful accounts of the world, provide their members with purpose, foster sustainable communities, or put forth evocative rituals. And, in return, young Americans have lost their faith not simply in the tenets of a religion, but in civic and social institutions as a whole.”

As I’ve previously explored in the rise of the paranormal, adopting a supernatural explanation is a flex of control. When so much is out of control, theory is a refreshing reclaim of self-sovereignty. Our own explanation beats the one that isn’t even given. Power is taken back.

Never before in history have fewer people believe in God as more believe in aliens. In 2021 Two-fifths of Americans think extraterrestrials have been behind UFO spottings, up from just one-third in 2019.

Aliens are explanations. No matter how far out they are, they bring us together, tether us and provide some answers: We are not alone.

Hope

We require a new crop of organizations and figures to usher in refreshed meaning, purpose, ritual, and belonging. This is not an opportunistic rebranding of religion, but an opportunity to provide a sense of community and purpose for many.

Communicating religion as a solution is a kiddie band-aid floating atop a gushing wound. Gospel won’t cut it.

For marketers, the larger and more responsible opportunity here is to address the systemic causes of this social gash. Why is it that people are deficient in meaning, purpose, ritual, and belonging today? And what’s the role of your product, service, brand, or organization in solving these needs?

Hold up… your deodorant, candle, or cooking spray aren’t rituals. However… community workout, candle-making, or cooking classes can be.

We have fundamental, existential crises to solve for. “Walking the walk” is what will ultimately attract the reverent and faithful.

To understand why we are in this moment with religion is to recognize that younger generations feel traditional institutions have been full of judgment, exclusivity, rigidity, and uninspiring contradictions.

It’s why they’re seeking alternatives offering the exact opposite: tolerance, flexibility, remix, choice, and a bit of levity (see: Birds Aren’t Real, another spiritual movement).

In a moment of mass isolation, scare faith, and deep uncertainties, we’re at a turning point.

We have the opportunity to solve deep human needs: finding a sense of purpose, feeling secure in one’s future, developing a strong sense of self, kindling a sense of belonging with others, and empowering action stemming from common goals.

How do we help others achieve this?

...Talk about a purpose.

May 16, 2023

·

4 min read

The Desperate Search for Hope in a Lonely World

Moving beyond religion means finding other paths for an impassioned, spiritual journey

In this three-part series, we’ll explore why the decline of traditional religion doesn’t mean the end of spirituality.

__

Modern religious stand-ins—from QAnon to cosplay, K-pop to Disney Adults—check all the boxes of traditional religion: they provide meaning, purpose, ritual, and community. Of those four, community is the most valuable to today's disciples.

The most influential driver of our newfound spirituality is our loneliness. 

It seems we’ve never needed it more. In the 90s, only 16% of Americans had two or less friends. Today, nearly a third of Americans have two or less friends. Since the 90s, there’s been a 20% drop in Americans who say they have one person to call their “best friend.”

Perhaps that’s because 30% of people claim they don’t even know how to make a new friend.

Today, one in five Americans say it’s been at least five years since they last made a new friend. After all, the number one place Americans make new friends is... the workplace. Oof.

This was of course before the pandemic worsened these numbers.

In the face of isolation, what we get is a lust for collective effervescence. Trend, counter-trend; cause, effect.

We’re no longer alone. Together, Swifties celebrate album drop holidays, devoutly studying lyrics and album art symbolism, ritualistically purchasing tickets, and passionately defending their creed and preacher. Their intensity goes as far as prompting the Justice Department to open up an antitrust investigation against Ticketmaster. The sway of Swifties changes laws.

Religion offers an opportunity to transcend ourselves, link arms with like-minded users, and rekindle our spirituality in sync.

Bonding over cryptic song lyrics, diets, shitcoins, fanfic, and anti-work—the pursuit of belonging is an impassioned, spiritual journey.

Stability

Belonging breeds stability, direction. Traditional religions previously built in this structure, organizing people and routine, and giving guidance on how we should approach our lives.

But as these rigid institutions are questioned and dissolve, we seek out answers and that sense of grounding elsewhere.

As Tara Isabella Burton writes in Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World, “Traditional religions, traditional political hierarchies, and traditional understandings of society have been unwilling or unable to offer compellingly meaningful accounts of the world, provide their members with purpose, foster sustainable communities, or put forth evocative rituals. And, in return, young Americans have lost their faith not simply in the tenets of a religion, but in civic and social institutions as a whole.”

As I’ve previously explored in the rise of the paranormal, adopting a supernatural explanation is a flex of control. When so much is out of control, theory is a refreshing reclaim of self-sovereignty. Our own explanation beats the one that isn’t even given. Power is taken back.

Never before in history have fewer people believe in God as more believe in aliens. In 2021 Two-fifths of Americans think extraterrestrials have been behind UFO spottings, up from just one-third in 2019.

Aliens are explanations. No matter how far out they are, they bring us together, tether us and provide some answers: We are not alone.

Hope

We require a new crop of organizations and figures to usher in refreshed meaning, purpose, ritual, and belonging. This is not an opportunistic rebranding of religion, but an opportunity to provide a sense of community and purpose for many.

Communicating religion as a solution is a kiddie band-aid floating atop a gushing wound. Gospel won’t cut it.

For marketers, the larger and more responsible opportunity here is to address the systemic causes of this social gash. Why is it that people are deficient in meaning, purpose, ritual, and belonging today? And what’s the role of your product, service, brand, or organization in solving these needs?

Hold up… your deodorant, candle, or cooking spray aren’t rituals. However… community workout, candle-making, or cooking classes can be.

We have fundamental, existential crises to solve for. “Walking the walk” is what will ultimately attract the reverent and faithful.

To understand why we are in this moment with religion is to recognize that younger generations feel traditional institutions have been full of judgment, exclusivity, rigidity, and uninspiring contradictions.

It’s why they’re seeking alternatives offering the exact opposite: tolerance, flexibility, remix, choice, and a bit of levity (see: Birds Aren’t Real, another spiritual movement).

In a moment of mass isolation, scare faith, and deep uncertainties, we’re at a turning point.

We have the opportunity to solve deep human needs: finding a sense of purpose, feeling secure in one’s future, developing a strong sense of self, kindling a sense of belonging with others, and empowering action stemming from common goals.

How do we help others achieve this?

...Talk about a purpose.

May 16, 2023

·

4 min read

The Desperate Search for Hope in a Lonely World

Moving beyond religion means finding other paths for an impassioned, spiritual journey

In this three-part series, we’ll explore why the decline of traditional religion doesn’t mean the end of spirituality.

__

Modern religious stand-ins—from QAnon to cosplay, K-pop to Disney Adults—check all the boxes of traditional religion: they provide meaning, purpose, ritual, and community. Of those four, community is the most valuable to today's disciples.

The most influential driver of our newfound spirituality is our loneliness. 

It seems we’ve never needed it more. In the 90s, only 16% of Americans had two or less friends. Today, nearly a third of Americans have two or less friends. Since the 90s, there’s been a 20% drop in Americans who say they have one person to call their “best friend.”

Perhaps that’s because 30% of people claim they don’t even know how to make a new friend.

Today, one in five Americans say it’s been at least five years since they last made a new friend. After all, the number one place Americans make new friends is... the workplace. Oof.

This was of course before the pandemic worsened these numbers.

In the face of isolation, what we get is a lust for collective effervescence. Trend, counter-trend; cause, effect.

We’re no longer alone. Together, Swifties celebrate album drop holidays, devoutly studying lyrics and album art symbolism, ritualistically purchasing tickets, and passionately defending their creed and preacher. Their intensity goes as far as prompting the Justice Department to open up an antitrust investigation against Ticketmaster. The sway of Swifties changes laws.

Religion offers an opportunity to transcend ourselves, link arms with like-minded users, and rekindle our spirituality in sync.

Bonding over cryptic song lyrics, diets, shitcoins, fanfic, and anti-work—the pursuit of belonging is an impassioned, spiritual journey.

Stability

Belonging breeds stability, direction. Traditional religions previously built in this structure, organizing people and routine, and giving guidance on how we should approach our lives.

But as these rigid institutions are questioned and dissolve, we seek out answers and that sense of grounding elsewhere.

As Tara Isabella Burton writes in Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World, “Traditional religions, traditional political hierarchies, and traditional understandings of society have been unwilling or unable to offer compellingly meaningful accounts of the world, provide their members with purpose, foster sustainable communities, or put forth evocative rituals. And, in return, young Americans have lost their faith not simply in the tenets of a religion, but in civic and social institutions as a whole.”

As I’ve previously explored in the rise of the paranormal, adopting a supernatural explanation is a flex of control. When so much is out of control, theory is a refreshing reclaim of self-sovereignty. Our own explanation beats the one that isn’t even given. Power is taken back.

Never before in history have fewer people believe in God as more believe in aliens. In 2021 Two-fifths of Americans think extraterrestrials have been behind UFO spottings, up from just one-third in 2019.

Aliens are explanations. No matter how far out they are, they bring us together, tether us and provide some answers: We are not alone.

Hope

We require a new crop of organizations and figures to usher in refreshed meaning, purpose, ritual, and belonging. This is not an opportunistic rebranding of religion, but an opportunity to provide a sense of community and purpose for many.

Communicating religion as a solution is a kiddie band-aid floating atop a gushing wound. Gospel won’t cut it.

For marketers, the larger and more responsible opportunity here is to address the systemic causes of this social gash. Why is it that people are deficient in meaning, purpose, ritual, and belonging today? And what’s the role of your product, service, brand, or organization in solving these needs?

Hold up… your deodorant, candle, or cooking spray aren’t rituals. However… community workout, candle-making, or cooking classes can be.

We have fundamental, existential crises to solve for. “Walking the walk” is what will ultimately attract the reverent and faithful.

To understand why we are in this moment with religion is to recognize that younger generations feel traditional institutions have been full of judgment, exclusivity, rigidity, and uninspiring contradictions.

It’s why they’re seeking alternatives offering the exact opposite: tolerance, flexibility, remix, choice, and a bit of levity (see: Birds Aren’t Real, another spiritual movement).

In a moment of mass isolation, scare faith, and deep uncertainties, we’re at a turning point.

We have the opportunity to solve deep human needs: finding a sense of purpose, feeling secure in one’s future, developing a strong sense of self, kindling a sense of belonging with others, and empowering action stemming from common goals.

How do we help others achieve this?

...Talk about a purpose.

May 16, 2023

·

4 min read

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Subscribe to our weekly newsletter so you never miss a story.

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Lens features creator stories that inspire, inform, and entertain.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter so you never miss a story.

Creator stories that inspire,
inform, and entertain

Creator stories that inspire,
inform, and entertain

Creator stories that inspire,
inform, and entertain