Joe, your response is very well put. The key sentence for me is "But, for the most part, there is one thing that separates me from these people I admire so much - I see a divine essence in what I see, and they do not. "

I can can see all the things you mention, without feeling the need to attribute them to a "divine essence". I am slightly puzzled why some people feel this need, but perhaps that points to a failing in me.

I can even entertain the thought that the universe is so vast and wonderful and complex that it cannot simply have "just happened". However precisely because it is so vast and wonderful and complex I cannot imagine why any creator should show any particular interest in me, out of the billions of lifeforms on this planet alone.

I should add that I am entirely comfortable with this view and don't feel either that this view diminishes me in any way or that I am lacking something in my life. I don't feel a need to have a god in my life.