One thing we loved about Ali was his ability to charm the snakes out of the trees: the guy could be a hilarious ham. United Methodist Bishop James K. Mathews is pictured here throwing a left to Ali.
United Methodist theologian Ted Campbell explained on his Facebook page: “They were apparently sitting together on a flight, began talking, Bishop Mathews asked for a photo, and Ali said, “Sure. Throw me a punch!” (From the back cover of Mathews’s autobiography, A Global Odyssey.)
How many us truly have the courage of our convictions?
How many of are willing to stand without wavering for even a moment on our principles?
Not many us, really, which is what made Ali such an original. He was every bit as courageous outside the boxing ring as he was in it.
It’s what made him so special, the fact that he was perfectly willing to give up everything he’d worked so hard for his entire life–and willing to go to prison to-boot–because of his principles.
It’s amazing to me that with all the anti-Muslim sentiment there is in America these days that on this particular day Americans of all political and religious persuasions are mourning the loss and celebrating the life of a peace-loving Muslim with a very Muslim name.
The man was a special kind of special–a beautiful butterfly and a killer of a stinging bee–simply “The Greatest.”
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