Bearing Down on Tiger Woods
Nauseated by media’s treatment of Tiger Woods. Like most people I am curious to know, but the rancor and bloodthirstiness of what I hear, feel and see in the media about Tiger is nauseating. I won’t buy it anymore, even if it’s cleverly disguised as news.
Tearing To Shreds – Just Because You Can?
To begin with, right after an accident is not the time to tear people apart. Unless you’re an animal, of course, in which case an accident makes you appear dinner in the eyes of other animals. But we’re talking human race here. What would these Tiger journalist-experts do if they came across someone with a broken limb, or a broken heart, or a broken spirit, in real life – would they just tear them to shreds with their steely knives, because they can? Their bloodthirstiness reminds me of crowds delighted in lynchings.
People Are Not Their Behaviors
But the greatest damage is inflicted not on Tiger – who’s big and strong enough to protect himself – but on unsuspecting folks who take the stuff at face value. What unnerves me most is media’s insistence that people are their behaviors. It is simply not true. People are not their behaviors. Your behaviors are not you. They are just behaviors. To believe otherwise causes your mind to discard the possibility of change altogether. But choice and change are important and should always remain an option. True, you cannot change who you are (you shouldn’t even try, quite to the contrary!), but at the same time it is very easy to change your behavior, and thereby change your life. Any child can do it. Kids change their behavior all the time, as they grow up. However, you will change only if you think you can. What you believe will come from a situation, determines what you go after and what you stay away from. So to know the difference between who you are – what cannot be changed – and your behaviors – what you can change – is critically important. Everybody, not just Tiger, will come across stations in life where change is in fact the only option. Remain strong in the belief you can change, no matter what the media tells you. Change often happens in a heartbeat – stay open to the possibilities.
Good People, Bad Decisions
I choose to believe Tiger and Elin are good people. Among many good choices, Tiger has made some really poor decisions, but he’s still Tiger – now faced with the arguably greatest test of his life. To admit you’re powerless and your life unmanageable, is a big mountain to climb regardless of your name. But strong people tend to grow stronger in adversity, and I’ve got a hunch Tiger and Elin are strong. As they pursue on their path, the media will keep barking in the distance, but fewer people will pay attention to the dogs – hopefully.
The Happy Learn From The Experience Of Others, Too
My hope is Tiger’s story may be a wake-up call for others in his situation. I’m not speaking of golf, because no-one is even near his situation in golf, but everybody knows there are gazillions of mostly male customers out there who keep the sex industry doing just fine, thank you. Gazillions of customers who return for yet another shot at bigger and better sex time and again, wrapped up in the delusional trance of lakes big enough to quench their thirst. Gazillions who rationalize – with rational lies – that doing wrong is okay as long as you don’t get caught, and who get around the fact that a fool is someone who knows the difference between right and wrong, and chooses to do wrong anyway, by pretending they don’t know. Gazillions will not crash their cars into hydrants and trees, but any sex addict unable or unwilling to change his or her habits will ultimately crash their life and reputation just the same.
Sure, you can recover from life accidents, as many have before. But why risk an accident for something so worthless you’ll only regret the very next morning? It’s not worth it, not by a long shot. You’re hearing it from one who’s been there, done that.
“What win I if I gain the thing I seek? A dream, a breath, a froth of fleeting joy? Who buys a minute’s myrth to wail a week, or seeks eternity to get a toy? For one sweet grape who will divine destroy?” – Shakespeare
“Why go out for burger when you can have steak at home?” – Paul Newman
Beat Schindler, personal development expert and coach, editor of the Beattitude blog at http://www.beatschindler.com/blog, and creator of Beattitude – a system of thinking & doing that helps you to confidently advance in the direction of your dreams.
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not just tv, but also the blogosphere is rife with articles smearing tiger woods. specially those cynical articles you see every now and then about men with power/money/fame having extre marital affairs.
he did not rape any women and his wife will get around $300M. so dont feel sorry for her. lets hope she wont take the money to SWEDEN and lose it all in taxes.
The majority of people only know about things based on media information, whether it’s in regards to a celebrity or a politician or war. The media people scream about freedom of speech, etc and yet they are usually the ones most guilty of distortion and should you attempt to go against them, they will destroy your reputation, etc and even if you do win all you are likely to get is a very small apology and retraction hidden away in some obscure section of their paper or braodcast.
Wow this was so true and well written…to bad Tiger or the masses won’t read it here. I too recently went through the same scenario only it was online…..I do now realize it was wrong and am lucky to have such a wonderful woman who has given me another chance and we’re doing great and I’m no longer chatting online! well except for this note.