Why its good to see people fail, even Tiger Woods

The last person I thought would ever fail at anything, is probably Tiger Woods. I love and admire Tiger Woods. You don’t have to know a lot about golf to know that his golf career is beyond perfect. He is only 33 and he has already won 14 Major Tournaments and 4 Masters. Not to mention the 10 other PGA Championships, U.S. and British Opens he’s won. (I had to google this because I really know nothing about golf statistics. I don’t even play golf.) He has become one of the best role models not only because of that success, but also because of how he handles himself and deals with those around him. He is very gracious, always taking the high road, and is so giving with his time and money. To me, this guy could do no wrong.

So to hear the latest news about his affair has been shocking. But at the same time, comforting. Yes, comforting.  Yes we could all go around and throw judgment and say things like “How could he? He’s a role model! Look at how he’s let everyone down! How do I explain this to my 10-year-old golf prodigy son?! He’ll be devastated!” But put your judgment aside for a second and really go deep and see what else is in there. It’s comfort. A little part of you is sighing in relief. A little part of you is saying “Phew. He’s not so perfect after all.”

And why is it a sigh of relief when you know someone is not perfect? Because you know that YOU are not perfect. If someone is perfect, if everyone around us is perfect, we feel like big fat failures. And we feel separate. “I am not like him. He is not like me. We are not one.” So when someone fails, as sad as it may be for them, for us, it is a good thing. Because it brings that person a little bit closer to us, and they become a little bit more like us.

Like my coworker said after I oooh-ed the news on People.com, “He’s just like the rest of us.”

Welcome to the human race Tiger.

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