(HAA)LAND OF HOPE AND GLORY

ERLING HAALAND AND THE WORLD CUP

My dear local supplier of raw milk, Jon Cook at Dora’s Dairy in Purton, Wiltshire https://www.dorasdairy.co.uk/, warmed our hearts the other day! He told us (that is, my son Sam and I) that more and more young people, 15-16 year olds typically, are asking their parents to bring them to purchase raw milk! 

Is this down to the example of Erling Haaland, the funny, frolicking but supernaturally talented Viking come to (greater) prominence during the opening rounds of the World Cup?

With no true interest in football, I have glanced at the countless algorithm-directed posts on Instagram showing the many facets of this 25 year old ‘star of the moment’.  And, like trillions of people the world over, I have succumbed to a seemingly endless fascination and strange adoration!

But why?  It’s definitely not a crush.  So what does this young man exemplify?  What does he represent to my ever-searching-for-meaning heart?

I believe that, woo-woo as it may sound, this particular World Cup is a moment (the potent symbol of which is Haarland) in which we are responding to a reminder: that care, respect, well-being, thriving and excellence is a profound quality of being human.  I think that we are recognising, or at least being reminded, that this well-being and amazing ability is our natural state!   

This is important because I feel that there exists, currently, a state of societal hypnosis that holds us firmly in its grip.  I have a strong tendency to respond to the drama, the outrage, the threat we all seem, according to the media, to be under.  I am, after all, a well-meaning and conscientious person seeking to do my best.  We all are!  

But I have come to see that the drama, appealing as it does to a heart that wants to somehow ease others’ suffering, is actually holding me from the energy of love that is far more powerful than anything 'negative'the litt our morally bankrupt politicians can try to impose on us!

Shall we, instead, take the spirit that Erling Haaland is demonstrating to us and take back our human strength, our incredible potential?

Being human. Do we know what it actually is to be fully, optimally human? 

Have you ever wondered about your own deeply-suspected potential? Have you ever looked at those who have lived inspirational lives, those who have been ethically, creatively, physically and emotionally all of a piece, and wondered whether you could ever reach such mythical, integrated and great heights?

Erling Haaland seems to be getting there, and what he has to his advantage are the following:

a A secure childhood, with parents demonstrating the value of respect and kindness, along with focus and discipline.

b A determination to succeed, with a Norwegian mindset and culture to support that.

c A focus on the fuel he puts in his body … little or no sugar & processed oils, but pure unprocessed animal based foods containing brain-essential fats, vitamins, minerals and proteins (steak, organs, eggs, raw milk), supported with raw honey, fruit and vegetables.

d Meditation, a way to bring one’s ‘monkey mind’ to a place of presence, of stillness, where chaotic thoughts are put into abeyance to make room for the deeper, more intuitive mind we all possess (if only we gave it room to speak!).

e An understanding of the power of the breath - he knows that nasal breathing is health-enhancing.  Put it another way: mouth breathing undermines our health in ways few of us truly understand.  So he tapes his mouth closed at night to ensure he takes in oxygen through his nose all night long, as well as optimally utilising the little-understood carbon dioxide …

f An understanding of the power of sunlight and of sleep

g A child-like sense of fun and joy!  

Here is the thing we perhaps miss: did we not all possess that sense of fun when we were children?  Were we not all full of playfulness, enthusiasm and curiosity?  What dulled those qualities?  Dare I suggest … authority, parents, school, social demands?  Fear and caution replaced that open, exploratory and enthusiastic quality children embody!  Interesting that Jesus pointed out that the child-like inherit the Kingdom of heaven!

When I first saw him leap into the air, twist and somehow, in mid-air, send the ball into the goal backwards, it occurred to me to wonder whether he is demonstrating, in part, the cognitive and physical abilities we might potentially all achieve?

Could Erling Haaland be showing us what it is to be truly hu-man?***

Of course, we don’t all want to be footballers and send ourselves skyward (although I sometimes regret that I didn’t develop my athletic abilities).  I bet, though, that we all wish to live our own personal potential.  Is it too late?  No, of course not!  In fact, I realise that, actually, my life has really only just begun!  As the Taoists say, “The journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step …”  

I am going to the pub tonight, to watch what might be the most stressful and glorious sporting event of my life so far!  World Cup quarter-finals, bringing England (my beloved country) to play against Norway, a country which seems to demonstrate the really beautiful values we English are in danger of losing.  Vikings and Anglo-Saxons!  Strong, fierce, free!

Whatever happens tonight, nobody loses!  Everybody gains.  In particular, I think Erling Haaland will show us what it means to win or lose.  Winning or losing is not actually the point, he seems to suggest.  Just show up, be present, do your best with focus and joy, and celebrate with and support your fellow human brothers and sisters whatever happens! 

It's a glorious cosmic game!

***. In Sufism, Hu (or Huwa) is the Arabic pronoun for “He”, representing the essence of God/Divine Presence.  It is used in dhikr (remembrance) to focus on the inner reality, connecting the human heart to divine grace.  The “Hu-man” is often conceptualised as “the perfected human who has realised this inner divine connection.”