The carrot/stick aspect of religious myth is universal because it works. Set aside the "population control" and other negative aspects and focus on the function of religion to help people live their daily lives. Religious myth has evolved to be effective across the spectrum of personal details, from rich, educated, and wise individuals to illiterate and desperately poor peasants to miserable inmates in prisons, hospitals, and asylums. In all of these varied contexts, religious myth enables people who are not wise and who do not have life experience to imitate wisdom by making wise choices.

I've just decided, moments ago, to suspend my involvement with all social media. I'll be checking in here occasionally, perhaps every 8 days or so. Regarding steemit and the STEEM blockchain, I'm skeptical regarding whether it will survive and whether it is suitable as a social media platform, so I'm going to take a "wait and see" posture to see how things develop over the next few months. Bye for now.