by mf on December 13, 2009
Tiger Woods. I’ve read the news. I’ve watched the interviews with his alleged mistresses. I’ve heard the jokes (some pretty funny ones I might add). I wouldn’t say I’ve been following the story, but in general, I’m pretty up-to-date on current events as I read Google News and my feed reader several times a day. You would pretty much have to be living under a rock to not know that something bad was going on with Tiger.
Here’s the thing though. I know that I should be disgusted by his behavior. I should think he’s a total scumbag. And I do think that his behavior was disgusting. It makes me sad for him, his wife, his kids and everyone around him who is having to deal with the consequences of his choices. However, I don’t feel the outrage that everyone else seems to be having or even that I think I should have.
Part of that is that I don’t think what he did was so abnormal for a sports celebrity (especially at his level). I think he’s getting more heat because we’ve always seen him as a “good guy” and because he’s managed to protect his privacy more than any other sports star that I know.
But the other reason is this: We all have a Tiger Woods in us.
We all (okay, mostly all) have a side to us that we are terrified of other people finding out. I do. It doesn’t mean that it’s scandalous, it just means that it’s really hard for us to live up to what we like to portray of ourselves.
Over the past month or so I’ve had to take an introspective look at myself. Not of the person I am 10-14 hours out of the day when I’m around other people, but the person I am at the core. The person I am when I’m alone and the thoughts I have that never come out of my mouth. The truth is, I don’t like that person very much. I am disgusted by my behavior sometimes.
I am Tiger Woods. I am willing to bet a lot of other people are too.
I am Tiger Woods not because I have this secret life (and if I did, I certainly wouldn’t tell you). I am Tiger Woods because when I hold myself up to the standard that I portray of myself, and the standard I should live as a Christian, I fail miserably. I hide so many things about myself that it’s pathetic. I run from accountability. I protect my faults more than the gold at Fort Knox is protected.
So I look at Tiger Woods and I see someone who has lost their privacy. I see someone has seen some of his deepest darkest secrets be played out 24/7 in the media for the past two weeks. Someone who is looking straight into the disappointment of most every person around him. Someone who, prior to Thanksgiving, we all thought was one of the “good guys.” I understand that celebrities are going to give up some of that privacy, but this is like someone just stole his underwear drawer and put it out on the front lawn for everyone to see. Should the media leave him alone? Sure, I think so, but that’s not the point of this.
The point really isn’t anything other than it’s a stark reminder for me to not judge. A reminder for me to really be the person I portray–to not hide my faults and to live an open live. That doesn’t mean I need to tell everyone every thought I have or every time I fail to live up to God’s standards. That just means I need to actually try to live up to those standards and know that when I fail, God still loves me and will help me be the person I am to be.
