Tiger Test Our Religion

By Chris Wright

I ended my last blog entry saying how the Tiger Woods issue raises serious concern about who we are as human beings and what life means.

I took another day to reflect on that statement and I listened to more talk radio and rants from sports fans and analyst. I wanted to make sure that what I was thinking was on the right path. And of course...I was. You know me. I'm Wright even when I'm wrong. I am an emotional person when it comes to certain issues like anyone else. My biggest pet peeve is human judgment and unforgiveness. That, more than anything else really gets my blood boiling. Because everything that we need to know in order to live in this world, we learn by age 5. Then we just forget it all. One of the biggest lesson that we learn and one of the biggest lessons that we teach our children is forgiveness. But as adults, we fall short. Then the other thing that we teach our children is to not judge and not be mean. And as adults, we fall short.

On my Facebook page, long before the the fateful Thanksgiving of 2009 when the Tiger Issue began, the Religion question on my profile says: I am Tiger Woods. I was making mockery of the Nike commercial back in the late 90s when all of the children were saying "I am Tiger Woods". It was surreal and almost like a religious following. I could hear billions of human beings across the world saying in the same tone, "I am Jesus Christ". It was only Tiger Woods' second year as a pro when that commercial was on TV and already, he had been exalted to a deity-like form. "I am Tiger Woods". Once this scandal broke and the world turned their backs on him; the same world that followed him like disciples in the gallery, the world who replaced his posters on the walls with crucifix, and the same world that cringed at the very mention of his name, I wondered, should I keep my Religion status on Facebook as "I am Tiger Woods". I did. And it will remain.

Now more than ever it applies. The selection of that religious status was prolific and profound beyond my understanding. Tiger Woods is a man that the world has looked up to and exalted, not only because he could swing a golf club, but because he was perfect in every way possible. Though we thought. He was everything that we could not be or never imagine ourselves to be. He displayed poise and grace. He practiced hard and played hard. He spoke well. Here was a figure that we could finally tell our children to emulate. He seemed to transcend human life. He was more a than a man. He was loved by most. There were and still are those that hate him. And I do mean hate him. And there was good reason to not like him. He cursed and grimaced on the golf course. He is a very private man and never gave us much of his human side. He wasn't Phil Mickelson. So I can understand a few detractors. When this is all said and done and placed in the history books, somewhere between 1 Peter and Revelations, the most relevant lesson from the Book of Tiger will be one who strived for perfection, but fell short because of human frailty. Not because of temptation, but because of the opportunity and unlimited access to things that tempt.

That's right believers. We are only as religious as our opportunities to sin. This is why the older you get, the more religious you get. Many of you go to church. Look at all the grey hair in the pews. They can see the finish line. They can see the light. They have booked their reservation for a table for one in God's Cafe. And they are going to do everything possible to make sure they don't lose that seat. We remember the best Biblical lessons, not from going to church, but from our Grandmothers and Grandfathers. We say, "Gramma used to always say, Judge not and ye not be judged". Grandpa would always say, "he who is without sin, cast the first stone". Yes believers, we remember these lessons because ole folks taught us. But when you're young and vibrant and life is calling from every port and destination, we are tempted to go where life calls. Cancun, Vegas, LA, Times Square, Girls, Hotties, Money, Cars, Bling, The Jersey Shore... ok, maybe not the Jersey Shore...but you get my point. Oh its so hard being a young religious person. Too many opportunities. Too many chances to sin. And you think, can I do this for 60 more years? Go without?

And to think, you make a thousand dollars a week if you're lucky!!! Can you imagine making a thousand dollars an hour? Then imagine your choices. My goodness! Married men, you might get propositioned by women once every few months. As you're walking through Price Chopper picking up Huggies, a woman passing by gives you that look, squints her eyes and you imagine her to say.. "mmm.. i love a man in a dale earnhardt ballcap. especially when he has the jacket to match. and he's a dad too. come'er big daddy". Or you're in Lowe's deciding which door knob would look better on the first floor bathroom door and you're interrupted by a Hot Mom with a charming smile, holding on to her 3 year old by the the hood of his hoodie. And she sensually says, "do you know which aisle the picture hangers are on?". You melt. "If only I wasn't married". Guys, you have NO idea what temptation is! Now let's combine the two. You make a thousand dollars per hour and you have the whole Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue coming at you daily, not to mention a few Applebee's waitresses and your son's teacher; If you make it through the MONTH without one slip up, you're good. If you make it through the year, you're Ghandi, and if you NEVER submit, then praise the Lord, give me what HE'S having. Because that's the kind of control that I want.

Believers, this is not about Tiger or his transgressions. This is about us. This is about religious beliefs. Human beings. Forgiveness and judgment.

The Bible: If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.

The Qu'ran: And whoever does evils or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allah's forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-giving, most merciful.

Buddaism: If we do not forgive, we keep creating an identity around our pain, and that is what is reborn. That is what suffers.

The Bible: Do not judge and ye will not be judged. Do not condemn and ye will not be condemned. Forgive not and ye will not be forgiven.

The Torah: When asked by an offender for forgiveness, one should forgive with a sincere mind and a willing spirit, for forgiveness is a natural seed of Israel.

Hinduism: O Lord forgive these sins that are due to my human limitations.

So I quoted from most of the religions in America minus Wiccan and Satanism and they all pretty much say the same thing. They say that we must forgive. And if forgiveness is a the cornerstone of religion and many of you shout to the roof tops that you're God-fearin' creatures who post Facebook scripture daily and weekly, then where is your forgiveness in regards to Tiger or the actions of Tiger? No crime was commited. No murder, no rape, no child molestation, no thievery, no embezzlement, torture, or assault. But I hear people on the radio yelling; yes YELLING at how horrible Tiger is and how weak and pathetic he is. People saying that his apology is a joke. Some even condemning him for apologizing at all. Some said, "too little, too late". Some said that Elin wasn't there and that was significant. Well Tiger's been invisible for 3 months. You don't think he apologized to her a million times? But I guess YOU want to hear him apologize to his wife and all will be good in your world.

I will wrap this up with this. If we take anything we have learned from school, church or parenting, we should look at this situation and give thanks. Thanks that once again, we have been taught another lesson. Like AIDS in the 80's made us think twice about our sexual promiscuity, maybe the Tiger Issue will make us think twice about infidelity. While Tiger's fall from grace is much higher than the few steps that we might fall down, the lesson should be the same, yet more significant. While infidelity in an average persons life might cost him or her a spouse, kids, a home and several thousand dollars; Tiger could lose millions, fame, and respect in the court of public opinion as well.

Tiger gave a 13 minute apology in front of the world. Who would YOU apologize too? In my mind, in that 13 minutes, only 8 seconds mattered. And that was when he said, "For all that I have done, I am so sorry." Nuff said Tiger. Nuff Said.

"Where You Been?" - signed Avid Reader

That's what I received in a Facebook message the other day. It made me feel good because bloggers think that only close friends, moms, and coerced people read their stuff. It's good to know that some people actually miss you when you don't write. It's been a few weeks since I last wrote anything. I mean nothing. The most I wrote was 'Love Daddy' and 'Love Chris' on Valentine's Day cards, but other than that, not much.

So what have I been doing. Let's see. I started working in Albany in January, in my new office with a new team. That in itself has been an overwhelming new experience. Although I'm doing the same job that I'd done in Utica/Syracuse, everything is quite different. I feel like like a left a job working in a bank to working at the New York Stock Exchange. Fun, fast-paced, electric, exciting, and flat out busy. So much to do in so little time. My days fly. I'm re-learning the Capital Region. It ain't what it was when I left it. It's more subdued. A little tame. I can also attribute that to me being 4 years older with a family and a real job. See, when I last lived in Albany, I worked for Enterprise Ren-ta-cah. And then I was a pharmaceutical rep. HOLD ON Enterprise folks, I'm not saying your jobs aren't real. I just remember how much we partied and drank on a daily basis. We are very close knit, like family. Forty percent of my Facebook friends are former Enterprisers. Some of my best memories are from working there. But one of the things you rarely hear from Enterprisers is, "IT'S FRIDAY". Because they don't care. If you don't know, let me explain, everyday was Friday. It was just a matter of where we were going. And I worked from Saratoga to Poughkeepsie, so the spots were abundant; Rafferty's, P&G's, Juniors, City Tavern, DA's, The Bullpen, Rusty Nail, Bayou, Cabaloosa, Mad River, and the list goes on. So yeah, Enterprisers work hard, but they party harder. Up at 5:30am and lucky to be back in bed by 2am the next night. We did it big.

Then there was my pharmaceutical rep job. Well... position, I should call it. Many of my friends still do this job, so I'll tread lightly when talking about it. What I remember most about pharma is driving. And driving. And more driving. And parking. And driving. Then more parking. Oh, I remember the drug launches. Who hoooo! And I remember driving. Everything else was a blur.

So back to what I've been doing. Like I said, Ye Ole Capital Region is different. So I'm getting used to that again. My drinking, partying, and womanizing hours are now spent commuting, shopping, and eating. That's what fathers/husbands do. We drive, shop and eat. At Golden Corrals and Friendly's and other fine family establishments. But it's fun and rewarding. I'm re-learning traffic. There was no traffic in Central NY. Except for the occasional congestion off the 90 exit at Carrier Circle in Syracuse at 7:55am. Then there was the back up on Genesee St and the Arterial in Utica because there's a traffic light every 30 feet. Nothing like the Northway at 7am and 5pm. So I'm adjusting.

I rediscovered sleep. Last week, I was sick and I use that word lightly. I think I was more fatigued/dehydrated than anything. I came home from work, popped 2 Tylenol PMs and that was it! A new discovery. That's what's been missing in my life. So now, I've been popping one at night before bed. The TPMs does two things. It helps me sleep and it cuts some of the minor aches and pains that I get from being cramped in a car all day. From driving, shopping, and eating.

I've been awakened and rejuvenated by Tiger speaking! It woke me up and turned on the creative juices. I'm ready to write again. I listened to Tiger talk all day yesterday and listened to and read people's reactions. And people, we've got problems. The Tiger issue raises serious concerns about who we are as human beings and what life means. It's my job to point that out to you. So get ready for my wrath.

Your Child Just Might Believe You. Handle With Care.

by Chris Wright

Is your kid a clone of you? Do you want your child to think and speak like you politically, socially, morally, and ethically? Think real hard before you answer.

If you're over 30, you can probably remember a time when there was less media, less cable channels, less radio, no Sirius, no XM, no cnn.com, not foxnews.com, no Rush, no Hannity, no Bill O' Reilly, no this.com or that.com. Your parents are probably pigheaded and believed what they believed without very little media or talking-head intervention. And now you say, "my parents are so close-mined". Well, we have the luxury of being very open-minded because as soon as we think one way, we can turn on the TV or radio and hear an opinion that differs from our own and say, "hmm, I never looked at it like that!" --at the speed of light, we can change our mind. With a great deal of help from media. Look how big the Independent party is. I believe due in part to media and not really taking a side. When I was younger, there were Democrats, Republicans, and Ross Perot. That was it! Now there is 5 or 6 parties for every election!

But this is not my point. So, I was listening to this conservative radio show the other night. Very conservative host Mark Levin. One of his clones called in. (A clone is a person that forms all of their opinions from one radio host. That's all they listen to. They talk like them and parakeet everything they say when talking to other people). The clone was a proud and concerned mother. She called in to tell the host her anecdote about her son's school project on Global Warming.

Just a little background for those of you that don't really know the political lobbying agenda on Global Warming. In a nutshell, the left are all for it, because they are "tree-hugging, environmental, go-green" activist. The right totally oppose the notion of Global Warming and have pretty good data and evidence that it and Al Gore are a fraud. And that the Obama Administration continues to pour mounds of money into the prevention of Global Warming, thereby perpetuating the farce. Ok, enough about that.

Her son had to do a paper on Global Warming. Now without knowing all of the details of the background on the school, the curriculum, the grade level, or the age of the kid, I can tell you that none of that is relevant for the sake of this blog. Being that mom is a staunch right-wing conservative who is anti-global warming, she was sure to have the urge to help her son with his essay assignment and give her two cents; probably with an iron fist. I'm sure that she told her son exactly how it is in regards to Global Warming.

"But mom! That's not what we were taught in school about Global Warming!" he might've said.

And mom probably said, "Well, I don't care what they're teaching you down at that school. They're wrong! Let me tell you about Global Warming son. It's a farce. And tonight, I'm going to show you some articles that proves that it's a fraud!"

"But..."

"But nothing. I know and we're going show that little teacher of yours the truth and stop these lies right NOW!"

So, he writes his essay on Global Warming according to his mother. He takes it into school. His teacher reads. She grades. He gets a zero.

Are you emotional? For the zero or against the zero? Let us move on.

He tells mom that he received a zero on his paper. Mom fumes. She makes an appointment with the teacher and now it gets sticky. The teacher explains that her son's take on global warming is not how it was taught in class. The teacher told the mother that the curriculum is based on what will be on the State Exam and that it is her job to prepare her students for the State Exam. She further explained that her classroom is not an open forum, at least not for that particular assignment, but that this particular project was to make the students familiar with the global warming agenda both domestically and abroad.

Mom now wants to speak with the Principal, who pretty much supported the teacher. After that, mom wanted the superintendent who not only supported the teacher and the principal, but explained to the mother, that if her son gave the same answer on the State Exam, that he would receive a zero again! So now mom wants to take it to the next level; writing the state, etc.

My question to you is this. Where does the son fit into all of this and what is he learning? He's learning at a very young age to buck the system if you think it's wrong. He's learning that authority is not important if you believe that it's wrong. He's learning that one man or woman's opinion is law if they can show evidence to support their view; even if they don't show you the opposing view. He's not learning that there is a very structured way to fight a system if you're against it. He's not learning that his mom supports the school and the administration. How many times have our children said, my teacher is stupid, or the assignment is dumb, or i'm failing such and such class because I don't agree with it? As parents, aren't we supposed to support the adult establishment that are in place to help nurture and educate our children?

The better way to go about this would have been for mom to review the material on global warming that was given to her son. And she should have bit her tongue and assisted him with the assignment based on the curriculum and material provided by the school. Wait, don't kill me yet! Then after the assignment was done or even while she was helping him, she could have had a conversation like this:

"I'm going to help you with this assignment and I want you to get a passing grade on it. You have to write your essay according to what the teacher gave you to read on global warming. I have a very different view on it, but that's not important right now. For the sake of this class, let's do it the way your teacher wants it done."

The boy might say, "but mom, I want to hear what you have to say!"

"ok, but I don't want you to write this. This is just my opinion". Then proceed to explain. Then reiterate, "...but for the sake of this assignment, you need to write your essay as your were taught so that you can get a passing grade".

"But mom, what you are saying makes sense! I want to write what you just told me".

"Well, how do you know that i'm right? You have to look at both sides of the argument. Tomorrow we will go to the library and look at magazines, newspapers, and surf the internet. I will let you form your own opinion".

How's that people?? Is that so hard? Or, do you want your child to share your political views and thoughts and become the very parakeet that you or your parents might be? Not teaching kids the importantance of structure and discipline is the downfall of discipline in America. Now kids fight parents, teachers, adults, courts, and anybody whose opinion and ideas differ from their own. And we all know that kids know everything!

This is a tough call. I went back and forth even as I was writing. We want our kids to be independent thinkers. We want them to hear opinions that differ from what they hear in school and church. But look at the results. Less children go to church. Many lack a spiritual base. Children see adults as their equal. They have an opinion about everything. And it drives me crazy! They are bored in school because they think their teachers are tools. And it becomes even worse when the parent agrees with them and proves it. I'm just asking you to think before you act. I have a rule of thumb. As far as the children are concerned, the school is always right. Then I will deal with the school privately and tell them adult to adult what idiots I think they are.

That's what mom should have done.