In loving memory of the greatest entertainer that ever lived.
Michael Joesph Jackson
August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009
"If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with." ~Michael Jackson
Women are like apples on trees. The best ones are at the top of the tree. Some men don't want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they just get the rotten apples from the ground that aren't as good, but they are easy to get.
The apples at the top think something is wrong with them, when in reality, they're amazing. They just have to wait for the right man to come along, the one who's brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree.
To maintain your independence you must always be needed and wanted. The more you are relied on, the more freedom you have. Make people depend on you for their happiness and prosperity and you have nothing to fear. Never teach them enough so that they can do without you.
Never Put Too Much Trust in Friends, Learn How to Use Enemies
Be wary of friends-they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them.
As I watch “headline” after “headline” regarding this Tiger Woods drama flood every media outlet, I can’t help but feel angry. Not because he [allegedly] cheated on his wife…or behaved recklessly, but because so many people have the audacity to DEMAND answers and/or explanations from him. I support Tiger Woods’ right to plead the 5th. I don’t need to know. He’s not my husband, so who he sleeps with is none of my business.
“Celebrities live public lives”… Fair enough. “They chose this life”…ok, sure. But there should be some consideration given when celebrities choose to keep certain aspects of their life private. Fame should not require full disclosure. Do we really expect that every actor, athlete, and politician is flawless?
Society tends to place those in the public eye on such a pedestal that the slightest indiscretion could be career-ending. Why is it that we build people up only to watch them fall? With the exception of clergy members, no one should be subjected to such scrutiny of their public and private affairs. We would like to believe that our society values morality and virtue, but this is just not the case. If it were, sex-tapes wouldn’t be making people famous.
As Tiger put it, “Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn't have to mean public confessions”. Amen to THAT! I’m so sick of all these holier-than-thou speculators and their insatiable need to finger point. The reality is everyone has skeletons… everyone has drama… everyone makes mistakes…we just don’t KNOW about it. Maybe it’s better that way. Committing a crime or breaking the law would warrant a considerable level of scrutiny…and I am not making excuses for anyone, nor am I attempting to justify any wrong doing. But robbing someone of their privacy is also… WRONG.
How would you feel if you had to defend your choices to the entire world in addition to those you hurt? How would you like to have your job threatened because you slept around? Loss of endorsements and termination of contracts are often the consequences celebrities face…and companies will pay nearly any cost in the name of “maintaining image”. What is the image these companies are so desperate to protect? Do we view Nike or Buick as some wholesome entity that employs only the purest of the pure? Not really. Tiger was not offered these deals because he's a good guy...he got them because he's a good GOLFER! What goes on in his personal life shouldn't matter.
The speculation surrounding Tiger’s situation will continue with or without any input from him. If he does speak out, will he tell the whole story? Probably not. Will anyone believe it? I doubt it. People will still have their opinion…the media will continue to spin a story that sells. Here lies the root of the problem…IT SELLS. There is a huge demand for drama and scandal. Tiger Woods has gotten more hits in the last 2 days than he has in months. We feed off of the transgressions of others because it makes us feel better about our own offenses.
No one, regardless of profession, should have to beg for the privacy to grieve, atone, or recuperate. Who decided that is was appropriate to demand full access into someone’s life simply because of their profession? Vanessa Williams, Bill Clinton, Michael Phelps, and now Tiger Woods…when will it end? Once it spreads to every facet of social interaction? Possibly.
