Remembering Muhammad Ali

[exitstageright]

The news,of the passing of Muhammad Ali was sad. I had never met Ali. But,he motivated me to become a good student. Although, as an adult, I admired him. As a teenager, I did not like him at all. Here is how Ali indirectly influenced my life.

In High School ,I was the Co-Captian of the Varsity Football Team. I weighed 165 pounds, in great shape, stocky, and had a very good physique. One girl even nicknamed me “muscles”. But,she never called me “sexy”, or “hot”. Some of my teammates told me that I looked like ,and reminded them of the boxer Joe Frazier. I felt great to be compared to a great professional athlete, known for his hard work ethic and persistence. Then one day, I see and hear Muhammad Ali ,on TV,saying.”I am going to whip……….UGLY…….JOE…….FRAZIER!!!”


Well,I felt terrible.I got,very,very angry. With my logical, and linear thinking, I thought, if I look like Joe Frazier. And, if Ali says that Joe Frazier is ugly, then I must be ugly. Girls have told me, since Junior High School, that I was ugly. I never had a girlfriend in Junior High School, nor in Senior High School. Ali, to me, had just confirmed that I was ugly. By the way, my father always told us not to pay attention to how people talked about us. He indirectly told us that we do not go to school to be liked. But , we go to school to get a good education.

Now,I thank God that Ali said that. Because,Ali motivated me. By him saying that, I realized that, since God did not bless me with “pretty boy” looks, that I would have to use my brains to study ,to get good grades, to go to college ,to get a good paying science job, and to have a successful life. Then, in twenty years, all of those girls, who rejected me, will feel very, very, very, sorry, that they had rejected me. Of course now ,I realize that those girls did not really reject me. No, they just re-directed me to someone ,who would accept me.


Oh, I almost forgot ! Ali had a saying that I did and still do like. In order to encourage children to stay in school, he said this,” If they can make penicillin out of molded bread. They can make something out of………..you!”

 

[NOTWHATIWAS]

The news,of the passing of Muhammad Ali was sad. I had never met Ali. But,he motivated me to become a good student. Although, as an adult, I admired him. As a teenager, I did not like him at all. Here is how Ali indirectly influenced my life.

In High School ,I was the Co-Captian of the Varsity Football Team. I weighed 165 pounds, in great shape, stocky, and had a very good physique. One girl even nicknamed me “muscles”. But,she never called me “sexy”, or “hot”. Some of my teammates told me that I looked like ,and reminded them of the boxer Joe Frazier. I felt great to be compared to a great professional athlete, known for his hard work ethic and persistence. Then one day, I see and hear Muhammad Ali ,on TV,saying.”I am going to whip……….UGLY…….JOE…….FRAZIER!!!”


Well,I felt terrible.I got,very,very angry. With my logical, and linear thinking, I thought, if I look like Joe Frazier. And, if Ali says that Joe Frazier is ugly, then I must be ugly. Girls have told me, since Junior High School, that I was ugly. I never had a girlfriend in Junior High School, nor in Senior High School. Ali, to me, had just confirmed that I was ugly. By the way, my father always told us not to pay attention to how people talked about us. He indirectly told us that we do not go to school to be liked. But , we go to school to get a good education.

Now,I thank God that Ali said that. Because,Ali motivated me. By him saying that, I realized that, since God did not bless me with “pretty boy” looks, that I would have to use my brains to study ,to get good grades, to go to college ,to get a good paying science job, and to have a successful life. Then, in twenty years, all of those girls, who rejected me, will feel very, very, very, sorry, that they had rejected me. Of course now ,I realize that those girls did not really reject me. No, they just re-directed me to someone ,who would accept me.


Oh, I almost forgot ! Ali had a saying that I did and still do like. In order to encourage children to stay in school, he said this,” If they can make penicillin out of molded bread. They can make something out of………..you!”

Saw Ali once-I was performing at the Curran Theater in San Francisco. I was leaving the theater after doing a show and Ali was standing next to a limo w/several young men surrounding him, getting autographs.