The Tiger Woods controversy has made me think about how people choose to present themselves to the world, and how much of what we see is actually the truth. I am very much from the school of what you see is what you get, and that is how I live my life. It hurts me when you think you know someone, how they think, what they do, who they spend their time with, what their values are, and then something comes out that completely turns your perception upside down. I felt that way when this mess came out about Tiger, I have felt that way when I have discovered other hidden transgressions about people I know, and I will always feel that way.
Nobody is perfect, and I cannot stand phonies who think that they can fake their way through life pretending that they are perfect. I am constantly amazed when I see fakes and phonies because they will always end up being exposed for who they really are. Tiger's situation is a great example of how a phony can be exposed to the light of the truth. I don't in any way condone Tiger's actions, but his biggest crime was being disingenuous about who he really was, not the acts themselves. If you like lots of sex with random whores, so be it, but just say "I enjoy lots of sex with random whores." I'm sure Elin would have liked to hear that before she married what she thought was a upstanding family man. Jimmy Carter caught a lot of flack when he was president for admitting that he had "lusted in [his] heart." Sure, this is somewhat disturbing, but I admire Mr. Carter's honesty. Speaking out can sometimes heal the wounds inflicted by the phony, but the bloom is already off of the rose and the image can never be rebuilt. To all the fakes out there, make sure that if you create a false persona, you keep your real persona out of trouble because as Tiger can tell you, it sucks to be exposed.
