Willow | Bluebags
THE MEANING OF LIFE
"He who needs meat is a slave to the cow..."
When I was young, following Rugby League was without doubt a religious experience. I had no interest in religions per sē, but I was a devoted follower just the same.
Actually, it's bigger than religion. People occasionally lose faith in their god of choice, but how many stop supporting their team? Rugby League has it all: passion, faith, loyalty and team work. There's the exaltation of victory and nowhere to hide when the going gets tough. Rugby League is the ultimate contest, bigger than life. Bigger than Jesus.
Is it possible for me to leave Rugby League?
You can imagine my surprise when I found the bible to be chock-full of stories about team work. One notable exception being that there is one god - or as we say in league circles, one man team. As we know, this just doesn't work in life, or on the football field. God, like Santa Claus, is not a team player.
Nevertheless, the gospels hold numerous examples of people getting together for a common cause.
My favourite is the tale of Noah's Ark. A great yarn about a small family of outcasts building a massive boat in the middle of nowhere. While the sane townsfolk laughed, crazy old Noah and his team kept toiling away. As most god-fearing people know, Noah had the last laugh when the referee delivered a flood of penalties on the unsuspecting town, and probably towns everywhere in the known world. The flood decimated innocent men, women and children. But the ref did allow Noah to save a few animals, possibly for some bizarre post-match celebrations.
Moses leading the Jewish people out of Egypt, via the sacking of an Egyptian town, was another great example of team work. Turning defence into attack, the Israelites despatched a rear guard action that left the pursuing Egyptian army in the bogs of the Red Sea. This team work went on for generations when the dynasty pushed forth towards the promised land. Actually, it was called Canaan and the Canaanites lived there, but that didn't stop the Israelites laying claim to it. After burning the fortress town of Jericho and killing everyone inside, the new team leader Joshua pushed on to become a major league stakeholder in what was to become known as the Israel franchise.
But the best team players were probably the Romans. When Jesus started kicking up a fuss, the administration of the day did a pretty good job of turning his own team against him. With terrifying precision, the Romans would form a scrum that had proven unbeatable for generations. They gave it some fancy name, the testudo or tortoise formation... but make no mistake, this was a scrum. In the case of the aforementioned prophet, the Romans were also pretty good at getting one over on the referee. With the help of well drilled coaching staff, they became experts at building the best damn crucifixes that the game had ever seen.
While we're on the subject, is there a league fan that doesn't know the meaning of crucifixion? The truly passionate supporters have suffered the indignity of being nailed up more than a few times.
The answer...
Which brings me back to my original question. Despite all the anguish and uncertainty, is it possible for me to leave my religion of choice? To provide an answer is akin to meaning of life stuff. Thus, it should be written that the best answer is to avoid the question altogether.
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
I have indeed witnessed first hand the joy of premiership victories - nothing compares. Alas, I have also sliently suffered the slings and arrows of despair. Equally, I have also taken the fight to those who dare question my system of belief. But at the end of the day, I have grown to accept that there are opposition league fans feeling the highs and lows of this very same roller coaster ride.
The answer...!
Let us first consider some of the religious icons of Rugby League: Len 'Deacon' Kelly, Father John Cootes, 'Lord Ted' Goodwin, 'The King' Wally Lewis, to name but a few. These are men of the jersey cloth, are they not there to be worshipped?
Well of course they are.
Anything else would be considered heresy.
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Ref:
1. Pic from Monty Python's
The Life of Brian.
2. First quote pinched from
The Secret Life of the American Teenager ("There's an old Yiddish saying which, uh, changed a bit because I'm Irish: 'Whoever needs meat is a slave to the cow'").
3. Shakespeare from
To be, or not to be (Hamlet).