Rest In Paradise Muhammad Ali
- Updated: June 4, 2016
Late last night the greatest athlete of all-time Muhammad Ali passed away at the age of 74. Ali, formerly known as Cassius Clay is the greatest boxer of all-time but his accomplishments and impact on lives goes far deeper than that.
The story goes that Ali probably stayed in the ring a few years longer than he should have. His famous rope-a-dope strategy almost definitely cut a few years off his life. But with all that said Ali battled Parkinson’s disease for 32 years. That in itself is a source of motivation and inspiration.
Ali was never afraid to speak his mind and speak out against what he thought was wrong with society in America. He spoke for people who could not speak for themselves and wanted to make changes and reforms to the racism that this country suffered from.
When Ali was drafted to fight in the Vietnam War in 1967 he refused to go subjecting him to five years in prison. He was stripped of his belts and was unable to fight or leave the country and was forced to lecture at college campuses around the country in order to meet ends meet.
Ali was quoted at one of the lectures that I found in NBC article about Ali’s passing. Read the full article here.
“My enemy is the white people, not Vietcongs or Chinese or Japanese,” Ali told one white student who challenged his draft avoidance. “You my opposer when I want freedom. You my opposer when I want justice. You my opposer when I want equality. You won’t even stand up for me in America for my religious beliefs and you want me to go somewhere and fight but you won’t even stand up for me here at home.”
Ali wasn’t afraid to stand up for what he believed in and wasn’t afraid to talk about subject that made people uncomfortable. Yes, he had an extreme confidence that some might say crossed the line with outright arrogance but that’s okay because he’s human and like all of us had flaws.
I wasn’t alive to see Ali fight live. I was too young to see him hold to the torch live in Atlanta for the Olympics in 1996. But Ali and his story and drive for success inside and out of the ring is where he has impacted my life. Ali inspired people to be a better version of themselves and to be comfortable in their own skin regardless of what people may say about you.
Thank you Muhammad Ali.
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