I opened a bit of a can of meta-worms debating the similiar patterns within science and religion early. This conversation, as conversations do, morphed a bit, and a friend of mine Kriek Jooste had this to say:

"Having been recently through a situation where someone I thought better of
actually perceived someone of the Hindu belief as being exotically wise with
depth, I keep on wondering if people grown up indoctrinated in the Hindu
faith would also find evangelical Christians exotic when they explain their
beliefs to them in detail for the first time.

I think we have a similar thing with Chinese medicine, Buddhism, Italian
food and tree bark eating rituals of South American tribes. Perhaps one day
the hippies of the future will copy cultural habits of exotic past cultures,
and re-enact the NG Kerk, beer drinking, braai and watching people play
rugby, while the progressive Asians are busy copying our Western habits
already. For us going to a sushi bar or getting into Buddhism is a bit like
for the Chinese to go to bars where they drink beer and watch a cover band
play alternative guitar music."

To which I say "Abso-bloody-lutely", we seem to have a romance for the things we do not know. Part of this is based on what romance is which is the idealisation of things. By seeing the same patterns and behaviours on a day to day basis we have no mystery to them, we understand them, and the mundane sits there, instead of finding the beauty in a some thing we've seen a million times.

My personal quest for the week is to find beauty, in that which I already know. Find the mystery and ideal in something that I've previously taken for granted.