It just occurred to me that this is one of the core things most successful religions have been trying to do in some form from the time they first arose.

I've had a lot of negative things to say about religion for many years. However, as has been often observed, 'perception is reality' to a certain extent when it affects how people behave, and perhaps it's kind of a counterweight against our more selfish tendencies. I just wish we could do something like it without made up stories and bigotry. Secular humanist Unitarians might be about the best we can do right now in my opinion... I'm hoping that group continues to grow (they have been in recent years).