It's too late for Tiger. He made his 121 beds and is sleeping in them. He's now paying the extravagant price for the libertine existence his celebrity and opulent prosperity allowed him to pursue, but the rest of us men can learn something from Tiger's travails. We men need to learn to teach our sons about parenthood, as our wives do our daughters from the moment they are old enough to understand. We have to make it clear that a man is only the center of a woman's attention until she becomes a mother. Then the couple have to work out how to still have a relationship when dealing with the responsibilities of parenthood. It is far from easy. It means giving up a lot of things, especially the partying that cost Tiger dearly, but no one is truly grown up until the party ends.
Christian men have the New Testament example of Joseph to draw upon. He's very much in the picture in the early days, but quickly disappears as the narrative progresses. He was so in the background that there is nothing about Joseph dying. He just fades away.
Why is this? Was it a plot to demean him? No. He was a carpenter, not a warrior or an athlete. He toiled away in historical obscurity, or else Jesus would never have grown up. He lived the mundane existence that claims the vast majority of us yet is so vital to the future of our species and, for this unvaunted service, his only legacy was that his son grew up to be a man. That is the only thing that matters.
Article comments
1 - Paul
You had me until you brought up the fairy tale stuff at the end. Tiger Woods only did what about 90% of rich, famous, young men, who had beautiful young woman throwing themselves at them would do. His biggest mistake was getting married and having children. I feel sorry for his children, but his poor wife will get over her suffering soon enough with the help of about a half billion dollars!
2 - Diana Hartman
Wow, Paul. What a way to say, "I don't get it!"