IT HAS been almost a month since Tiger Woods' fateful one-car crash outside his home, and only someone living on another planet would have missed the volcano of events that have erupted since then.
Apart from an endless succession of articles in the media, there are even several websites – all created with different permutations of the words: Tiger-Woods-affair - dedicated to his affairs and loss of sponsorships.
The sensation Woods has created is simply amazing.
While out for drinks with some friends two weeks ago, one of them was even checking the latest news on his mobile phone.
Even now, it seems people have not grown tired of the saga.
I think it is time we gave the poor man a break, if not for the yuletide season, then because of three things we can take away from this whole incident.
Firstly, champion golfer or not, Woods is human. He has faults just like anybody else. Sure, his alleged 14 dalliances may be a record of sorts but would things be better if he had had just one affair? I don't think so.
I am not condoning his adulterous ways but unfaithfulness is not something rare. Who is to say no one was watching the news of Woods' affair from someone else’s bed other than their own?
If an average Joe can fall, why not a famous billionaire whom everybody wants a piece of? He is definitely not the first rich and famous man to have gone astray, and he will not be the last.
We have heard his story, we have had our jokes, it's time to move on. The issue is, ultimately, one between him and his wife.
If you had been looking to Woods as a role model, the lesson learnt here is that you’d be better off picking a homely and studious guy-next-door than a rich and famous celebrity. Celebrities as role models are just something advertisers want us to believe.
Another thing the whole hullabaloo has shown us is that everybody loves to see the fall of the successful. Call it our base instincts, envy, or whatever you want, such things are news fodder.
The higher they fly, the harder they fall. And the bigger the dust cloud they create.
He can be your hero one moment, or you might not even care about his achievements, but the moment scandal breaks, everyone's eyeballs are stuck on it.
Yet, unsatiated, we hope to dig deeper to unravel more dirt and point dirty fingers at him who was once adored.
Which brings us to the final lesson: People are fickle.
When Woods was claiming a succession of titles, he was everyone's idol. The fans loved him, the sponsors loved him even more and everyone was in awe of this golfer who possessed skills never before seen.
When negative news of him appeared, the fans loathed him, the sponsors deserted him and everyone treated him as the joke of the century.
This display of 'loyalty' must surely tear Woods apart more than the potential millions of dollars he is losing.
Right now, we should ask ourselves why Woods became who he is.
Woods did not become famous for being the most upright and faithful man in the world. He came to be because he was the best golfer in the world. And he still is. He still has his skills around him, though we may not see them for some time to come.
He was a sportsman first, before he became anything else.
I am not a golfer, neither am I a big fan of his, but I think we should respect the man for his skills, even as we disapprove of his ways.
As for his faults, let him who has no fault cast the first stone, or leave the man alone to settle his problems.
PHOTO: AP