It has been interesting to watch the interest in the Rugby World Cup currently be staged in New Zealand.

People have travelled from around the world to be here to support their teams. Such fierce and passionate patriotism is infectious. Nationalism is fuelled by anthems and other cultural displays.

The popularity of religion has been on the wane now for quite some time. People have realised that much of the dogma that often accompanies religious practices has become irrelevant to them in these fast paced modern times. So instead of heading off to church or synagogue on Sundays many people now worship other Gods with the same fanaticism and head off to a local sports stadium instead for a quick fix of partisan escapism and drama.

We have really become a takeaway and throw away society – fast food, fast and varied jobs, speed dating, shorter term relationships, use by dates with little thought to the future driven by the ‘what’s in it for us” mindset. Its no wonder we feel lost and empty and seek to cover up these feelings with whatever makes us feel better even if only for a short period of time.

I suspect part of the reason that national sports are so popular is that they allow us to feel as though we belong to something greater than ourselves. The power of group consciousness can be quite awe inspiring when we all gather together as one to back our particular “horse”. However, once the game is over and especially when our side has lost we can feel deflated and depressed. This is similar to coming off an artificial high.

There is only one source that allows us to  feel continually connected to ourselves and others. That comes from within each of us. It exists behind the veil of our incessant mental gymnastics in stillness. It is “That which is” – has been and always will be. It is omnipresent. It is light and love.

We don’t need to belong to any particular religion, nationality or sports team to gain access to what is our birthright as spiritual beings.