As someone with an on again, off again dedication to the sport of golf, Buddhist thought and meditation, and the politics and contradictions of culture writ large and small, I have been interested to listen to Tiger Woods’ recent post-tournament comments in light of his fall from the iconic cultural graces of pop culture celebrity after his “crash” late last November and current struggles on the golf course since he returned to play in the Masters golf tournament about a month ago.
I am especially interested in speculating on his rhetorical recommitment to Buddhist practice that he made during his statement of apology back in February which he said he had abandoned and which, fundamentally, he asserted had led to his disastrous extramarital deviance and likely divorce from Elin Nordegren.
If he is a practicing Buddhist again, and here I give him the benefit of the doubt despite his apparent ability to hide his deepest and darkest cravings behind a shroud of purity and wholesomeness, I wonder if his almost flippant, perfunctory, and occasional response to questions about his golf and life struggles–”It is what it is”–is a facile attempt to publicly resemble an acceptance of his personal traumas of late. Read the rest of this entry »
Recent Comments