Loading ...Tiger turns to faith in wake of scandal
flockwoodBut not the variety that FOX News senior political analyst Brit Hume had recommended.
Instead, Tiger Woods discussed his Buddhist beliefs during his televised mea culpa. (Full transcript here.)
“I owe it to my family to become a better person. I owe it to those closest to me to become a better man. That’s where my focus will be. I have a lot of work to do, and I intend to dedicate myself to doing it.
Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age. People probably don’t realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist and I actively practised my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years.
Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes and unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously I lost track of what I was taught.”
For those who watched it all this morning, what did you think of Tiger’s statement?
February 19th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
His Tigership’s statement reminded me of Mr. Spock trying to give an emotional speech. It’s clear that Woods, not to put too fine a point on it, has the emotions of a golfer. What do golfers do? Theoretically, they hit the ball with exactly the same swing, or one of two or three swings, every time. Again and again. Thousands of times. Millions of times over the years. They play the same courses over and over, and attack the holes exactly the same way. There are no new “plays” to consider, because every hole is programmed: You tee off, you make a shot (or in my case a dozen shots) to the green, and then you putt. Every hole. No zone defense or man to man; no nickel offense or special teams. The only difference is the length of the hole, and whether it has hazards.
A person who can do that day in and day out is not going to be a creative person. He or she is not going to be a person who is comfortable with innovation or new things, or spontaneity. And I think Tiger’s problems all arise from that personality type. After he got up and out from under his parents’ control, particularly that of his father, he began seeing and hearing things he’d never heard before, that he was a highly sought after person romantically as well as professionally, and that he had options for amorous activity that weren’t limited to his spouse. And, in what may have been the first (and perhaps last) series of spontaneous acts he ever did, he succumbed to temptation.
And now that he’s dealing with that, his personality type is still the same. Yes, he can hire expensive lawyers and PR people to draft the perfect statement for him. Yes, he can ask the PGA for the use of its facilities to make his statement, and he can even, through the force of his fame, compel all the networks to carry it. But he’s still Mr. Spock, and I have never felt more embarrassed for another person in my life as when I saw him trying to make logical sense of an illogical situation, and then falling back on his prepared text when his emotions didn’t make it on to the green. I wish him the best of luck, and some serious therapy: He needs it.
February 19th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
I don’t know why he feels he owes the public an apology. He didn’t cheat on us.
February 19th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Woods may not owe us an apology but neither does the public owe him anything. It may be cynical to say this but an apology is a necessary step for Woods to return to his rather profitable career as a golfer. Professional golf is not something that Woods can easily let go of. If it’s not the money then something else, like an intense desire to be admired and recognized as the best in the world and probably of all time. The audience is essential. To earn his way back to stardom Woods must first earn the forgiveness of the public. It’s business.
February 21st, 2010 at 10:32 am
You know. I’m on the fence on this one. Tiger has his hands full with his own mistakes, but he seems competent enough to know what to do. I don’t think he made this mess by himself as with any professional athlete his age. He was the king of his world so to speak and simply by his presence multitudes prospered. You have to ask you self, “what would outside influences do to to keep Tiger happy?”. Let your imagination run wild and you most likely have the answer to that one!
February 21st, 2010 at 1:06 pm
To some extent most people are inherently good but they also have darker impulses. Not everyone acts on those hidden desires. Here are some reasons why.
When we are held accountable by others, we tend to behave better. It might be family members or our neighbors or other members of our community. The mere fact that we are being watched by someone who knows us will make us think twice about our actions. There’s something else that restrains us from doing wrong. Most of us simply do not have the means! I imagine that to have affairs with supermodels and other beautiful women it helps to have a private resort or to be able to afford luxury suites at a fancy hotel. With fame or fortune some of these gals will do whatever you want. But for an everyday kind of guy they won’t give you the time of day.
Now, you take a big star who has millions or even billions of dollars at his disposal and is a handsome guy to boot. He can have all the toys that he wants. Anything. Surround that person with protective bodyguards, a sycophant staff who shields him from prying eyes, and fan base that celebrates eccentricity and forgives the occasional excess. Shoot, I think it’s tough to be a moral person when you’re rich and famous.
February 21st, 2010 at 2:29 pm
I agree entirely, Jose. Temptation is the one thing most of us can’t resist, and when someone is in His Tigership’s position, I would imagine the temptation is enormous.
February 21st, 2010 at 3:30 pm
American moral value is playing distinct role forcing rich and famous to acknowledge their mistake to public for rehabilitation to their career. Very few nations on earth have this character.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:22 pm
“American moral value?” Pah. This was driven entirely by the desires of his sponsors; he virtually admitted as much by all the references to his “business partners.” This has nothing to do with morality and everything to do with money.