I Googled Hero today and sure enough, Muhammad Ali's name and photo popped up prominently on the first page. Since Muhammad Ali was my boyhood hero and remained so throughout my many years, I couldn't help remembering why he meant so much to me when I heard the news of his passing. Were it not for Muhammad Ali being the man he was at the time he was, I wouldn't be half the man I am today. He was the perfect role model for a kid like me.
Muhammad Ali was as much about brains as he was about brawn and that impressed me. Muhammad Ali was as much about wit as he was about wisdom, and that too impressed me. Muhammad Ali was as much about being a pugilist as he was about being a man of peace and that's what captured my imagination. While there were plenty of good people providing guidance, I just wasn't listening to them. While some were tough as nails and others were sharp as a tack, none were enough of both.
After seeing Muhammad Ali interviewed on television explaining why he refused to fight in Vietnam, again, I was impresed. When he said, "I ain't got nothing against no Viet Cong. No Vietnamese ever called me Nigger", I wondered why more Black people didn't feel that way. When he asked, why should the United States ask him to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home to drop bombs and bullets on brown people, while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs, I was waiting for America to come up with an answer. And when America never did, I knew Muhammad Ali was right, this country was wrong.
While many were focused on Muhammad Ali's hand speed, footwork, punching power and of course good looks, I was inspired by his words, deeds and the way he carried himself. Sure, Ali was one cocky Black man, but he fought in a time when America refused to believe Black men could do anything else but fight. Muhammad Ali had something to prove and he did. Muhammad Ali proved he could beat someone up in a ring as easily as he could beat someone down in a debate. I wanted to learn as much as I could from this man and I did.
I learned if my mind could conceive it and my heart could believe it, I could achieve it. I learned, he who is not courageous enough to take risk will accomplish nothing in life. I learned that I didn't have to be what anybody wanted me to be, I was free to be me. I also learned, the best way to make my dreams come true, was to wake up. Yeah, he said all these things and a whole a lot more.
Muhammad Ali taught me what it meant to be principled, self-disciplined/reliant and determined. It was from Ali, I learned to always question, challenge and when necessary defy authority. It was from Ali, I learned the power of pride and self respect. It was from Ali, I learned what it meant to be my own man and what that would cost me in America. Unfortunately, I also learned how few men are willing to pay that price. In my eyes, Muhammad Ali eclipsed all those lesser men.
Bottom line: Muhammad Ali put his career and hundreds of millions in today's dollars on the line and never took a step back. Neither fame, fortune nor even his freedom could shake this most unique individual from his beliefs. He was a fighting man completely at peace with himself, his decisions and his chosen path in life. And it's because of Muhammad Ali, that so am I. Podcast below!
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