A few years ago I saw a documentary on TV, commemorating lady Diana, the deceased princess of Wales.

Amongst many other things they interviewed a nice lady.

At her home there was this little table, put against a wall. On it she had laid a white tablecloth. She had taken a picture of lady Di out of a magazine, put it in a frame and it was now sitting on that little table, on the white tablecloth. On each side were candles. Before it stood a little vase with one rose in it.

Did this picture of lady Di comfort her, the reporter asked. Yes, the lady answered. Every time she walked by it, she took a moment to look at the picture and felt comforted. Sometimes she even talked to the picture and told it about her problems.

Did this help her, the reporter asked. Yes, she answered. Sometimes she even felt as if lady Di answered her and told her to carry on and that the bad times would soon be over.

So, after all these years, lady Di was still a living presence in her life, the reporter asked. Yes, the lady answered, she often felt that the princess supported her in her difficulties.

I thought: this woman has made an altar and created a goddess. She prays to her self-created divinity and her goddess answers her. For her this deity is real. She has convinced herself that she communicates with her.

If this woman had been a fanatic she would have founded a church for her goddess.

If this woman had been an evil fanatic she would have started telling other people how her goddess wanted them to behave.

If this woman had been a powerful, evil fanatic she would probably have killed anybody who didn't believe in her goddess.