Keller @ Large: What Really Matters In Life
BOSTON (CBS) - Do we over-indulge in celebrity news for vicarious reasons?
Yes we do, sometimes to the point where you feel like the whole culture needs a long, hot shower. But celebrity news and gossip has a constructive purpose when it serves up cautionary tales about life.
And there are plenty of them in the saga of Tiger Woods, once the world's premier golfer, now, after spending the night in jail on a DUI charge, scraping rock bottom. Police found Woods passed out by the side of the road in his car with the motor running, and in a statement later, he said: "I want the public to know that alcohol was not involved. I didn't realize the mix of medications had affected me so strongly."
Of course, the fact that alcohol wasn't involved has nothing to do with this sad story.
After his fourth back surgery in three years recently, Woods claimed he was pain free, but apparently he's still taking multiple medications. It's unclear if he will ever play golf again. So let's recap what has happened to Tiger in the past seven years.
His serial infidelity was exposed, leading to the end of his marriage and major damage to his career.
He has lost his family, his health, and the livelihood that was an obsession from a very young age.
And what he is left with - wealth, a fancy home and car, and fame - appears to be of little value.
Would Tiger trade all of the above for a pain-and-drug-free existence and healthy family life? I bet he would.
And there's the useful moral of the Tiger Woods story.
Money can't buy what really matters in life. And forgetting that fact can cost you dearly.
Share your take with me via email at keller@wbztv.com, or you can reach out on Twitter, @kelleratlarge.