Monday Morning Greetings 2026 #27 – The World Cup Through the Eyes of Śāstra

It was Thursday. I didn’t have a clue what I could write about for this Monday. I then saw a clip of fans cheering wildly when their team scored and won a World Cup game. They then broke out in song and danced wildly. They seemed to be so euphoric, but were they? I then naturally looked at the phenomenon through the eyes of śāstra, and that’s this week’s Greetings. I naturally didn’t glean much support for this world obsession from the śāstra, but let me start with the opposite, something I saw that was positive. Community The World Cup creates a strong sense of community around one’s team. Anything that helps one transcend the limited or self-centered concept of “I,” such as a sense of community, gives one a temporary relief from the source of all pain, the false ego. I saw that especially in the shared bliss the fans were experiencing when cheering in victory. Of course, you could look at that from many perspectives that would dispel the idea of such a sense of joy as real…