This thought border lines on blasphemy. However, it is a valid point that one must consider when “surrendering oneself to a higher power.” What if the idea of surrendering control to this higher power is actually surrendering control to the idealistic version of yourself?
Then this is not so crazy to conceive of. Jesus, Buddha, etc are that culture’s idealistic version of the perfect human, or to say the ideal. So those iconic figures represent what we could be, or should be if we were to strive to that aim. This gives us in the formation of our mental self, the idea or the concept that the ego is not what it should be but rather only a facsimile of what it could be.
As a consequence this idea of surrendering control is really to say that you are surrendering control to the ideal. More practically, when you make a commitment or a promise to achieve something you attributed to the idealistic notion of what you could be. Even better when you pray and ask the Higher Power to help you become the idealistic and better version of yourself. In essence, you are attributing power and credibility to something that is not what you are today, but what you could become.
Therefore, it would seem that belief in God, or having faith in something greater than you is necessary in order to successfully raise your station. To transform into something greater than what you are.
I choose to just believe. Easier. However, this thought has helped me understand this “Jesus, take the Wheel,” notion.
