He says everyone prays... I wish he'd unpack what he means by that because, at some level, I can understand that everyone "places faith" in something (be it God, Religion, Science, Reason, Logic, Intuition, Flying Spaghetti Monsters, etc.), but is that the same thing is prayer?

And is it "praying" if it's unconscious or out of one's conscious awareness?

Let's imagine for a moment that there is no conscious "higher power". (Inconceivable!)
Is prayer still useful? I would argue that it is, though without a "higher power", prayer begins to resemble (or simply becomes) a form of meditation.
I believe prayer accomplishes several things from a practical perspective:
- It forces us to prioritize our desires. If we are praying for something, then it makes us stop for a moment and ask "is this really something I should be asking for?" or "why am I embarrassed to ask for this?" We tend to prioritize good and meaningful things, which feeds into the second point.
- It gives us goals to pursue. Many philosophies recommend mantras as a way of verbalizing what we want such that we tailor our actions toward achieving those goals, consciously or subconsciously.
- It allows us to "get things off our chests". I believe verbalizing our shortcomings and mistakes promotes improvement in future behavior.
- It helps us "count our blessings". The religious template of prayer often includes thanksgiving. Listing out those good things in life is a positive experience.

(I think there are a number of other aspects of religious rites, rituals, and practice that have practical benefits even in the absence of a divine creator.)

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*philosophy

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