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- Dec 4, 2017
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The Duke of Wellington was traveling through Belgium following his great victory at Waterloo. Everywhere he went, huge crowds turned out to cheer him. Asked whether he was pleased with the ecstatic reception, he replied, "Not in the least; if I had failed they would have shot me."
My point is that while the crowd was no doubt pleased by Woods' victory, what constitutes 'redemption' in his case? Was it his winning the tournament? If so, I fear his redemption will be short-lived, for no man wins forever. There may be a great popular thirst for happy stories, but there is an equally deep thirst to flay anyone who fails.
Or was it that memories of his infidelities have faded? In that sense, all we have arrived at is the old stick that time heals all wounds. By that, presumably, Hitler, Stalin and Mao have all been 'redeemed'.
If redemption hinges on no more than the momentary opinion of the mob (be it in the flesh, on the editorial pages or in the twitterface sewers of this micron-thin society), then I question its validity. If it hinges on nothing more than the passage of time, then I question its value.
My point is that while the crowd was no doubt pleased by Woods' victory, what constitutes 'redemption' in his case? Was it his winning the tournament? If so, I fear his redemption will be short-lived, for no man wins forever. There may be a great popular thirst for happy stories, but there is an equally deep thirst to flay anyone who fails.
Or was it that memories of his infidelities have faded? In that sense, all we have arrived at is the old stick that time heals all wounds. By that, presumably, Hitler, Stalin and Mao have all been 'redeemed'.
If redemption hinges on no more than the momentary opinion of the mob (be it in the flesh, on the editorial pages or in the twitterface sewers of this micron-thin society), then I question its validity. If it hinges on nothing more than the passage of time, then I question its value.