"Arboreal intervention" Love it! Now as to taking responsibility, golf was developed by Scottish Presbyterians, who believe that every wee thing is ordained by God.
Now I am going to slice the ball deliberately and go off in an unexpected direction. There are other kinds of intervention than those by trees. Warning: non-Presbyterian theology ahead. Human intervention can be good or bad or even random, or divine, which is always for our good.
Evil intervention comes from elsewhere. I don't want to shock anybody, but evil doesn't come from God. It can be horribly tragic, like tsunamis and earthquakes, or murder or war. It comes from natural events bigger than us or from human actions. He allows it for reasons that we don't understand, and the grief can be overwhelming. But God didn't cause it, and he will help us with our grief and anger if we let him.
This is a huge topic and very difficult to address in a Substack comment. I don't want to hijack the comments on Lyle's post, which is beautifully written and thoughtful. Thank you, Lyle. If you do want to engage me about my argument you can DM me.
I loved this read so much (and I'm not a golfer) -- big cheeky grin the whole reading it. Reminds me of my roommate when I lived and worked at Vail Ski Resort (epic, powdery snow with beautiful blue skies), who grew up skiing in Vermont (terrifying sheets of ice)...she would say about her early days on the East Coast, "you gotta ski the shit to be the shit." Instead of being the victim to the environment, let it teach you.
It's not just golf. Skiing is the same way - you can blame your skis, your goggles, whiteout conditions...whatever. It still comes down to your skill level and ability to handle change. Now that I think about it, pretty much any outdoor sport, like biking, is the same thing. You can't control it, so you may as well enjoy it.
Lyle, I love this. I am a guy who doesn't work on my golf game and yet somehow always expect to be better than I am, I feel humbled. I am not a guy to blame the wind...just my swing, my hips, arms, lack of distance, my misreads on the green... I know it's me. And somehow I always think I will be or should be better. Much more than golf, I love this as a metaphor for life. Where do I take responsibility and where do I let myself off the hook? (pun not intended). Great article.
Thank you, Peter! There’s definitely that other side of the coin where I swing too far towards blaming myself, which can easily lead me to shame. I considered including that in this piece, but ultimately I thought that topic would be better served in a piece of its own.
"Arboreal intervention" Love it! Now as to taking responsibility, golf was developed by Scottish Presbyterians, who believe that every wee thing is ordained by God.
Now I am going to slice the ball deliberately and go off in an unexpected direction. There are other kinds of intervention than those by trees. Warning: non-Presbyterian theology ahead. Human intervention can be good or bad or even random, or divine, which is always for our good.
Evil intervention comes from elsewhere. I don't want to shock anybody, but evil doesn't come from God. It can be horribly tragic, like tsunamis and earthquakes, or murder or war. It comes from natural events bigger than us or from human actions. He allows it for reasons that we don't understand, and the grief can be overwhelming. But God didn't cause it, and he will help us with our grief and anger if we let him.
This is a huge topic and very difficult to address in a Substack comment. I don't want to hijack the comments on Lyle's post, which is beautifully written and thoughtful. Thank you, Lyle. If you do want to engage me about my argument you can DM me.
I loved this read so much (and I'm not a golfer) -- big cheeky grin the whole reading it. Reminds me of my roommate when I lived and worked at Vail Ski Resort (epic, powdery snow with beautiful blue skies), who grew up skiing in Vermont (terrifying sheets of ice)...she would say about her early days on the East Coast, "you gotta ski the shit to be the shit." Instead of being the victim to the environment, let it teach you.
Love that!
It's not just golf. Skiing is the same way - you can blame your skis, your goggles, whiteout conditions...whatever. It still comes down to your skill level and ability to handle change. Now that I think about it, pretty much any outdoor sport, like biking, is the same thing. You can't control it, so you may as well enjoy it.
Lyle, I love this. I am a guy who doesn't work on my golf game and yet somehow always expect to be better than I am, I feel humbled. I am not a guy to blame the wind...just my swing, my hips, arms, lack of distance, my misreads on the green... I know it's me. And somehow I always think I will be or should be better. Much more than golf, I love this as a metaphor for life. Where do I take responsibility and where do I let myself off the hook? (pun not intended). Great article.
Thank you, Peter! There’s definitely that other side of the coin where I swing too far towards blaming myself, which can easily lead me to shame. I considered including that in this piece, but ultimately I thought that topic would be better served in a piece of its own.