I'm not one to read the sports pages, but today I'm glad I happened upon a powerful and personal column about the travails of Tiger Woods by Washington Post columnist Mike Wise, who confesses to his own Tiger-like infidelities while reminding us that what happened to one of the world's most famous athletes is a serious sickness, not just an isolated sin. People in general have taken quite an interest in Tiger's great fall -- from jokes to disgust to curiosity -- but, as Wise astutely observes, Tiger's mistakes are a symptom of a bigger problem, something hidden behind his sexual indiscretions, much the same way problems are hidden behind addictions to alcohol or drugs, pornography or gambling.
From Wise's column:
"I am Tiger Woods, and I have poked fun at his travails because I use humor as camouflage, because if I were to deal with the truth, if the world were to know the details of my sad, pathetic electronic communication with other women at one time in my life, the horrific embarrassment would not just send me into seclusion; it would send me off the ledge.
"It's easy -- maybe even natural -- to judge his actions and ignore what led to them:
"Tiger Woods has an emotional void in his life. This void must be huge. For him to be where he is today, this deep emptiness must have consumed him, must be something he has been living with for a long time. Moreover, he has to live with his emptiness while being fully aware that everyone in the world knows just what a manufactured lie his image has been.
"Having stared into this void, having known this hollowness, I can neither excoriate the guy nor exonerate him.
"I am Tiger Woods, and because of that, I can only hope that he realizes he's sick and takes steps to get better."
It's really worth your time to read the column in its entirety. Click HERE to read on.
