This past week we saw another chapter in the Tiger Woods saga, as he finally made a statement to the press admitting his wrongdoings and expressing his remorse. This is the personal part of the public humiliation that follows when a “Role Model” fails to live up to the implied commitment that he has to the millions of people that he doesn’t even know by name - called fans.
In this part, humility strikes even deeper to the heart of the Role Model, as they search for the perfect words that will restore the sense of admirable qualities that propped this person up on the pedestal in the first place. They didn’t ask for the pedestal, but that is what this country loves to do with people that do something special or that people “believe” are special.
That’s the problem with pedestals - the bigger the are, the harder the fall!!! Just ask President Obama. He was seen as the savior to many. Now, many of those same people are labeling him the anti-Christ. Wow, that was quick. I’m so confused! Would somebody please just tell me which one he is!
Personally, I would love to see much less pedestalizing.
After the Wood’s press conference, the news carried reactions from different fans. Some liked what he had to say. Others, were less forgiving. Even some that went on to describe how they personally felt so let down, and how much Tiger had let down their kids, and how much they were all so deeply hurt by what he did.
I’m sorry, but that’s a little scary to me. I don’t believe Tiger hurt me, my kids or anybody else’s kids for that matter. He didn’t let us down. If anything, we let ourselves down by putting him on a pedestal in the first place. I’m not trying to diminish his golfing accomplishments and/or abilities. He may be the best golfer the world has ever seen!
But at the end of the day, he is just a man, like many I know, dealing with the same struggles that most people I know today struggle with - being in integrity with ourselves and our own value systems. Most of us compromise our integrity on a daily basis. Maybe we don’t do the things we say we are going to do. Or we don’t live by the values that are important to us. Or we don’t speak up for things that matter. How are you out of integrity with yourself? You know what it may be for you.
If Tiger let anybody down, he let himself down first. Then his wife and children. In my mind, that is where his amends needs to be focused.
Now, Tiger can become someone that I can REALLY admire. Someone that has struggled deeply with the timeless issue of fidelity. He has fallen off the pedestal. The trick will be for him to not be judged so harshly (by us his nameless fans) that we put him as deep into the abyss as we may have put him high on the pedestal.
What if we just bring him to shoulder height? What if there wasn’t a pedestal or abyss? What if there was just equality that comes from him being “REAL” now in a way that he wasn’t before. Before, he was a God!!! Now he’s whale crap???
What about now he’s a REAL man!
As a real man, he has an opportunity to do something truly remarkable and maybe even more impactful to the world than shooting under par. He has an opportunity to be himself in a way that he has never been able to be. The facade, the mystic has been shattered. Now, he has the opportunity to be REAL with his wife and kids. He is dealing now with the truth rather than lies - most importantly, the lie he was telling himself about who he was!!!
Then he can become something truly unique in this world - a REAL Model. Someone who is grounded in the truth about who and what he is. Someone who stops living under false pretenses and lives based on his true values and convictions.
He may make less money as a REAL Model. Less endorsements. He may never truly regain his golfing form and win less tournaments, if he goes back to golf at all.
But, he can be a REAL husband, father, son and friend. And when its time for Tiger to go to that great golf course in the sky, what do you believe will be his true legacy? His fall from grace, or how he chose to lead his life after that? To you and me, it may be his golf accomplishments. But to those that matter most to him, and you know who that would be in your life, having a REAL Tiger would be pretty awesome, maybe even life changing.
I think that what the world needs is more REAL Models!
No comments:
Post a Comment