You may be wondering why I’m writing about Tiger Woods. Well, he’s back on the PGA tour, having played in the Masters last week. So he’s once again big news... for golf. I watched him skip balls across a water pond as if they were flat stones thrown by hand. That was cool.
I am also facinated by the reactions people have towards him, in light of his sexual indiscretions. There is an obvious strategy by his handlers, to redefine him as Tiger Woods, the king of golf and minimize the image of Tiger Woods... king of infidelity. The Masters was an attempt to create a sort of redemption story. Hey, its Tiger Woods, king of golf, therefore his bad behavior is okay... right? That seems to be the reaction of many people. This guy is a transcedant figure on the world stage... with enormous global influence. What he does, what he says, his opinions and attitudes are embraced as the norm, as acceptable by many many people.
He made some very bad choices. Can he change... sure, if he really wants to. The question is... does he want to, or will be fall into the convenient new “excuse” that bears his name?
In the past few months, psychologists have coined a “new” malady to explain bad choices in human behavior. And we have the antics of Tiger Woods to thank for this new bit of pop psychology. It’s called the “Tiger Woods Syndrome”. There’s even a book about it, titled... The Tiger Woods Syndrome: Why Men Prowl and How to Not Become the Prey , co-authored by J.R. Bruns M.D. and R. A. Richards II.
Here’s [their] definition of the “Tiger Woods Syndrome”: It’s a syndrome in which relationships are based on artificial intimacy. It’s where physical attraction and charm are emphasized over compatibility. It is a short-lived relationship... as both partners realize that the reasons they came together in the first place were based on lies. In the end, the deceptive relationship results in two bitterly disappointed partners—or in the case of Tiger Woods, it ends up on the eleven o'clock news. It can affect anyone... including women.
Celebrities and public figures recently caught with another woman have been singled out as suffering from the “Tiger Woods Syndrome. Guys like, John Edwards, David Letterman, Bill Clinton, Jon Gosselin, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and Jesse James (Sandra Bullocks husband) to name a just few. The syndrome suggests that Hollywood types having an incredible amount of money, an incredible amount of fame, and an incredible amount of time. … enables them to pursue these carnal activities.
Is it really all that bad? Isn’t it just boys and girls having fun? Men who do this sort of thing aren’t really dissatisfied with the women in their lives, it’s about the chase and the hunt. Variety, after all is the spice of life. Does any of that reasoning sound acceptable to you?
The creators of this new thinking... The Tiger Woods Syndrome, say it marks the beginning of an awakening for America. Shaky relationships built on dishonesty must not be accepted as the norm. It's time to take that first step toward a relationship that is built on something that withstands the test of time... integrity. Really? Wow... that’s so original! It’s amazing what you can do with a news release, a brush and a bucket of watered down white paint! Geez!
The Tiger Woods Syndrome is just another excuse to justify infidelity. It’s another malady in a long line of so-called medical or psychological conditions that people will use to excuse their bad behavior. In this case... an excuse for cheating on your spouse.
This isn’t something new. It all ready has a well grounded name... ADULTERY! Someone already wrote about it in a very well known book... the Bible! Remember those annoying Ten Commandments? Commandment number seven says... “You shall not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:2-17) God’s mouth to our ears! No filters, no psychological review or interpretations required!
The story of Tiger Woods and many other celebrities are well known. But there are countless men and women throughout human history who have fallen by “choice” into the trap of infidelity.
Adultery is not a sickness. It’s not a syndrome. It’s not something that overtakes you against your will and personal power to flee from it.... it has always been a choice.
The Bible says it is a “sin”. The desires for sin are born within the heart of man and woman. No power, visible or invisible, forces anyone to do anything against their will. In other words... the “Devil did not make you do it and God didn’t create you with that tendency”.
Sadly, it happens every week, in every country, men and women being caught in the act of adultery. It has been happening since the fall of man. Here’s what we know about the act... it is very popular and always has been. It’s often glamorized in the media, not surprisingly then, we see adultery on the increase. Adultery shatters marriages and destroys trust. Adultery scars the lives of children... of this there can be no doubt.
Today’s culture seems to pass adultery off as no big deal. It’s natural. It’s normal. It’s fashionable. It’s to be expected. Husbands and wives are encouraged to “negotiate” a relationship compromise around the likely possibility, probability in fact, than it will happen in your relationship. Our culture says... accept it, learn to live with it and move on. You can see with this growing permissive view, that many adults of all ages don’t seem to be all that concerned about it or its consequences.
What are the moral issues involved here? Is Adultery really wrong... today? In a modern culture, can we set aside the Ten Commandments and go with the “enlightened and sophisticated” prevailing attitudes towards such conduct?
In the next installment of this discussion, I will examine God’s perspective on the Tiger Woods Syndrome. He definitely has one!
Stay tuned... next article will be posted by Wednesday, April 21st.
