I’ve been thinking about the Brit Hume proselytizing to Tiger Woods on national TV ever since it happened. And I think I’ve finally pinned down why it bugged me. It’s not that he was stumping for his religion. He’s become a “commentator” rather than a “journalist” and that allows him to float his own opinions without worrying about showing bias. And you know that you should keep your grains of salt at the ready whenever he opens his yapper. And freedom of religion and freedom of speech are among the greatest things that make this country great.
My problem is that for a guy who represents himself as knowledgeable enough to offer an informed opinion in his commentating, he showed a really fundamental lack of understanding about a world religion practiced by millions of people. What he said was "I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith." As Mr. Burr might say to Perry Mason “irrelevant and immaterial.” One of the basic tenets of Buddhism is to avoid causing suffering. And Mr. Woods actions almost certainly will cause ongoing suffering to his wife, his children, anyone else who genuinely cares about him, the PGA and his sponsors. All to varying degrees. If Tiger had considered this principle before acting, all of this could have been avoided. It’s not that Tiger Woods is a Buddhist. The problem is that he’s not a very good Buddhist.
I’m an agnostic. But I take a healthy interest in the religions of the world because they effect the world view of many of those who are near and dear to me. And are a large factor in many of the major issues of our world today. Here's the thing, I’m just a blogger. I don’t have millions of people listening to my opinions (thankfully). And whileI may float some commentary every once in awhile, I’m no commentator. But I will offer someone else’s sage advice to Brit Hume - “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”
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2 comments:
Hear, hear. What's amazing to me is the amount of vitrol in support of Hume's comments on the WaPo's message boards and on FB. Instead of saying exactly what you're saying, they're basically saying, "Yeah! Our religion is better than yours." It's annoying.
Personally, I think Tiger should have thought about a lot of things before he embarked on his serious lack of judgment (either don't get married and be a swinger or honor your vows, Tiger). I don't think it will be as simple as coverting to Christianity or getting his butt back to Buddhisim. Whatever he decides to do, he needs to take a step back and meditate for a while on why he was such a jerk. Then man up and tell his wife he was a jerk and beg HER for forgiveness before he explains himself to the world. (Personally, she shouldn't take the jerk back either. He should just stay single for a long, long time.)
That some people seem to be taking the argument to an "our team is better than your team" place is a new low. It's religion. Not the Super Bowl. A little decorum, please.
And if you're going to have a religion at all, I don't see what the purpose is unless it aids you in making good decisions about your life and your place in the cosmos. Like not man-whoring around on your wife and insuring that your children have to fight the same crappy daddy issues you have. Or not taking advantage of a sad situation in order to talk religious smack on national television.
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