Rituals Part Two, and who the fuck made football such a life enhancing sport?

Rituals Part Two, and who the fuck made football such a life enhancing sport?
by
Robin Hall


First off, this note will be somewhat more confabulated than usual and be sure to read the last paragraphs.

For some reason, humans seem to need rituals. We completely made up religions and gods to serve this need. Later on we found even more need for rituals and made up sports.

Then we somehow blended sports and religions. Its only christian to cheer at a football game on Friday or Saturday then calm down in church on Sunday. Its only christian to say prayers, both for the fans and the players, to absolutely KILL your opponents.

Of course the same holds for war. EVERY war I am aware of has its own form of this but typically, some moron or other gives a prayer to THE ONLY TRUE GOD, that they KILL their opponents.

I find this confusing. Since the other team OR war opponent is doing the very same, who wins? That is who's version of god or prayer gets to claim victory?

I find it demeaning of humanity that "teams" "pray" to KILL their opponents. Do they think their own brand of religion deserves to win? And do they blame their own gods IF they lose? Is everyone missing this bullshit? I am not that smart. Maybe I am missing something or???

Think for a moment. There is true heresy going on. One team believes their prayers will bring home the trophy. The other team believes the same. The players and fans both pray to win and in any sort of logic I can come up with, one of the teams is being heretical.

The range of this foolishness is astonishing too. American football, basketball, baseball fans and players are involved in this praying to win. Most of the rest of the world has the same thing going on for football aka soccer.

Tennis is in the game, golf. I don't see that much of curling and cannot speculate on this and other minor sports like competitive eating which is now considered a sport along with poker and that silly flag waving thing now considered an Olympic sport, but what do I know?

There are MANY other attempts at life enhancing rituals. Take ISA, EST, both communication workshops elevated to ritual status. And that sort of ritual / religion perpetrated by the science fiction writer, Hubbard, uh, scientology?

Lets not forget TM and the followers of OSHO®, the man formerly know as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and I SERIOUSLY doubt HE knew of this registered or copyrighted name and isn't that silly? Is this like Prince Rogers Nelson?

I am sure all their followers will call for a fatwah or the like and I will be assassinated soon. Maybe I should be.

Still, humans do seem to want rituals and I don't see any good ones happening. Maybe some of the rituals in a novel like Dune will become popular what with the psychedelic drug involved. And isn't that similar to what users tried with LSD?

I will close now and check my mail box for a bomb.

Later note. Today I was emailing my friend and the ritual of the theater / theatre came up. I guessed that our modern day theatre IS a form of ritual like religion and sport BUT with theater, we all can participate on many levels.

With professional theatres we can visit, often view the finest of actors, view the cutting edge of stage work: lights, scenery, props and FX.

Beforehand we can read the plays and do our own thinking. Maybe another year we can be in these same plays in school or community theater.

I did all of this with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, being the cuckoo I am. It was a slightly different order but the rituals were performed, the creativity NEEDED in a good ritual so WE benefit, not just observe, that was there too.

I auditioned for the play in college. Dale Harding. I got the part, read the book, went to rehearsals, did the play.

Several years later a movie was made with our top actors. I waited eagerly and was simply overwhelmed at this HIGHLY decorated film. I got to relive EVERYTHING I had put into the ritual. I recalled the audition, reading the book, the performances then the movie THEN I did the same part in community theatre and was further amazed at it all.

This was a creative ritual that I participated in.

I didn't watch some self sanctified religious zealot telling me I needed to believe ONLY in him, his version of the rituals of life, his personal higher power.

I also did not have to sit on the sidelines of some silly sporting event, wear cartoonish clothes and shout at referees, players and other fans. At the end of the event I don't have to shout impotently, "We won, we won." Jerry Seinfeld pounced on this very thing in a routine and added something like, " No THEY won, you watched." This was fine comedy, a fine comedian.

When WE get to create our own rituals and participate in them like we can do with theater, well what more can we hope for from rituals? Hey, check out local theaters, community theatres, school theaters and give them your best: acting, directing, lights, scenery, tickets. Make your own rituals, make them fun, meaningful. Make them YOURS.