Is religion real, and does it matter?

It's time for a confession. I'm a semi religious orthodox Jew. I've recently read a couple of articles concerning religion, and how the secular\ atheistic Western lifestyle can't provide for the spiritual needs of the person: It's values are too shallow; it provides no relief or hope for the future; people need something more. The question that never seems to be asked in these articles, and maybe it has something to do with who writes them, is, is there really anything more? The horror they can't face, and maybe most people can't, is that just because there should be something more, just because people need something more, doesn't necessarily mean there actually is. A person dying in the desert might need a drink of water: the existence of that water has little to do with her need.
But let's take that metaphor a little farther. A person dying of thirst might cry out for help or might hallucinate some water. In other words, she might create her own water: now hallucinated water won't save her life, but might just help her live a little longer until help gets to her. Or it might just make her suffer less. So is god hallucinated water? And if so, does this devalue religion completely? Or maybe, like the dying woman, it makes life a little easier to bear. Just some thoughts. More on this another time.

If my brain is plastic why do I feel so stagnated?

So, the most recent book I'm reading is "the brain that changes itself" by Norman Doige. Fascinating book, by the way, and definitely recommended for just about anyone: brain science in a language most of us can understand. And it got me thinking about a lot. One big question that arises (and I haven't finished the book yet) is how plastic is the brain, really? Can we do anything? What are the limitations? And how much should we want to change?
I'm considering taking some of the books points and trying them out on myself. I have a bunch of bad habits, and a serious anxiety problem, all of which would be great if it could just go away. Also, the book has confirmed a suspicion I've had: that the study habits that were thrown away in the 60's as antiquated might have something to offer: memorization, a focus on handwriting, and other things might just be very valuable.