The (Third) Eye of the Tiger

It is Masters weekend 2023 which means that the lulling voices of commentators, vibrant colors of Azaleas and the occasional unified roars of spectators are filling homes, hotel lobby's and sports bars around the world. Since 1996 when Tiger Woods turned his golf career pro, it has been impossible to hear about the sport without some mention of him, whether he had a club in his hand or not. Sometimes the banter woven with his name was at the astonishment of his talent, sometimes at the critique of his rare mishaps on the course (and behind the wheel), and then other times at missteps in his personal life. One thing is clear, Tiger changed the game of golf and his young and quick success changed him.

In 1997 during Tiger's rise, Earl and Kultida Woods (his very proud parents) were quoted in a Sports Illustrated article by Gary Smith stating respectively, "Tiger will do more than any other man in history to change the course of humanity. ...He is the Chosen One. He'll have the power to impact nations. Not people. Nations." and that, "Tiger has Thai, African, Chinese American Indian and European blood. He can hold everyone together. He is the Universal Child."

Wowza...no pressure there young'n! But were they wrong, and is he truly a standalone in all that potential? Before you start pulling up all the references that display his non-virtuous moments that might aim to disprove the bold parental claims, maybe we can widen the lens.

For any who have ever attempted to hit that little white dimpled ball with a metal club 60-140 times into a 4.25 inch hole within a round of 18 holes know that it is not simply a game of coordination, stamina and athleticism, it is a mind game above all else. Tiger has been known to credit his mother and the inspiration of her Thai Buddhism faith and meditation practice to lead him to the intense mental focus he needed on the course. But what about the rest of his life?

As is the case in many shining starts, there are dark secrets, scandals and all sorts of skeletons in the closet that eventually paw their way out. It is unfortunately common that when all that dirty laundry is strung out for the world to judge, faith becomes the flag that is flown over it in an attempt to make amends and be seen as pure again in the public eye. To many, this can be as off putting as the original acts of misjudgment, and rightfully so when it is inauthentic. But aren't faith and a spiritual practice a way TO becoming free of destructive emotions and choices? So when do we give them a chance, and when do we chalk another one up to leaning on the crutch of false faith?

November of 2009, the usual Tiger headlines turned from God-like praise to personal disgrace. These are not new stories, and if you have heard nothing of his serial infidelity, car crashes, arrest and the inevitable downward spirals surrounding it all, it is safe to say you either weren't born yet, or were perhaps living off grid - there are plenty of places to dig for smut and shaming, but that is not what we are here for. We are here to make our minds a little less narrow and a little more compassionate.

So if golf is a mental game, is it any surprise that Tiger fell from the top, to 58th ranked in the world during the time of his very public and very consuming personal troubles?

People equally love to love and love to hate on those at the top. The haters find every reason to throw shade and lovers find excuses for the most inexcusable...and this is for someone the will likely never have an interpersonal relationship with, let alone even meet in person! But this untouchable all-star is just that, a person. As wildly capable as the rest of us at making mistakes and because of their status they are perhaps at greater risk of doing so, and certainly at greater risk for public humiliation and backlash.

"I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn't have to go far to find them. I was wrong. I was foolish"

A snippet from his televised public statement, post 45-day therapy program in February 2010. As focused as his mind had become to excel in his sport, it had become just as focused on his self proclaimed invincible attitude. The mind is powerful in this way - for better and for worse, with equivalent outcomes on the other side of better or worse action.

It is easy for onlookers to claim they should have done better, they are a role model to children, how can they be so reckless and unaware of the risk they are imposing on others due to their actions? Due to the public shaming and affairs of Tiger, all but Nike and Electronic Arts pulled out of their endorsement and advertising deals resulting in an estimated loss by shareholders north of $5 billion dollars, some claiming it is likely more than double that. Multiple women and one man's indiscretions not just leaving a trail of destruction in their personal lives, but there is a ripple of loss that even reaches the newborn baby whose grandfather just purchased his first born grandson stock in one of the withdrawn companies. Perhaps we can begin to see the relation of everything to another thing, that no instance is without dependence of another instance, everything and everyone are indeed connected on some level.

A spiritual practice gives us the potential to see beyond ourselves. Tiger relates losing sight of his personal commitments and impact of his actions to deviating from his Buddhist faith. "Buddhism teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint," said Woods. It is the mind where all action originates. Restraint is a battle we all increasingly face with the abundance of shiny things and people at our fingertips. In many ways we are no different. So were his parents right?

Tiger did impact not just people, but nations. Is that impact in the way his father might have intended it would be? Maybe, maybe not. He is the universal child, as we all are no matter how many different ancestral bloodlines are running through our veins. Is humanity changed at the hand of Tiger Woods in a way that no other has been able to change it? That is a lofty one to claim, but it is not too late to make it so. In a very public manner we witnessed a rise, a fall and rebuilding from the karmic carnage. We continue to witness perseverance, focus, imperfection, and faith. Perhaps the haters who continue to hate are changed by their disgust of his indiscretion - may that lead them to purity and never hypocrisy. Maybe the lovers who continue to love are changed by his humility and nose to the grindstone approach to healing. Either way, it looks like Tiger was in fact a catalyst for change - in the game of golf, and hopefully in the minds of readers here as we take inspiration to mind our minds for the benefit of all.