I was moved by a story from the New York Times recently. In view of some of the hatred, bitterness, and name-calling that has happened here in recent times, I thought this might provide something to think about.
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The New York Times
March 15, 2001
ALI EXTENDS HAND TO FRAZIER
When Muhammad Ali heard Joe Frazier's name mentioned yesterday, he feigned deep sleep.
Then he apologized to the opponent he will forever be linked to, saying he was wrong to call Frazier an "Uncle Tom" and "too ugly to be the champ" 30 years ago, before the first entry in their boxing trilogy. The abuse continued into their third fight, in Manila, where Ali likened Frazier to a gorilla.
The wound to Frazier's psyche was deep. In the ensuing years, as Parkinson's syndrome limited Ali's speech and mobility, he has evolved into an almost saintly, ethereal force, the controversies of his past forgotten as his fame expanded. But Frazier has searched for wider renown and struggled to shed his bitterness.
Last week, on the anniversary of his victory over Ali at Madison Square Garden, Frazier said, "Hey, man, just come on and give me a hug and let's get on with our lives."
During an interview in his Midtown Manhattan hotel suite yesterday, Ali said: "In a way, Joe's right. I said a lot of things in the heat of the moment that I shouldn't have said. Called him names I shouldn't have called him. I apologize for that. I'm sorry. It was all meant to promote the fight."
And yes, he said, if Frazier wants it, he would hug Smokin' Joe.
"I like Joe Frazier," he said. "Me and him was a good show. It was a good traveling show."
Frazier embraced the apology.
"I accept that," he said in a telephone interview from Wildwood, N.J. "I'll accept it, shake his hand and hug him when I see him. We're grown guys. This has been going on too long. It's like we've been fighting the Vietnam War. We're two athletes of the world. Why we been biting off bullets? We have to embrace each other. It's time to talk and get together. Life's too short."
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He's right, of course. Life is too short for all of us, tragically so for some. It's a shameful waste of our time on earth to spend it slinging mud when we could be planting flowers.
I quote the eloquence of WombatWoman, in a sig which (like WW) is gone, but not forgotten:
Love hums in the veins like beehives,
Love whelms the strong and resurrects the meek.
And love eats death.
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The New York Times
March 15, 2001
ALI EXTENDS HAND TO FRAZIER
When Muhammad Ali heard Joe Frazier's name mentioned yesterday, he feigned deep sleep.
Then he apologized to the opponent he will forever be linked to, saying he was wrong to call Frazier an "Uncle Tom" and "too ugly to be the champ" 30 years ago, before the first entry in their boxing trilogy. The abuse continued into their third fight, in Manila, where Ali likened Frazier to a gorilla.
The wound to Frazier's psyche was deep. In the ensuing years, as Parkinson's syndrome limited Ali's speech and mobility, he has evolved into an almost saintly, ethereal force, the controversies of his past forgotten as his fame expanded. But Frazier has searched for wider renown and struggled to shed his bitterness.
Last week, on the anniversary of his victory over Ali at Madison Square Garden, Frazier said, "Hey, man, just come on and give me a hug and let's get on with our lives."
During an interview in his Midtown Manhattan hotel suite yesterday, Ali said: "In a way, Joe's right. I said a lot of things in the heat of the moment that I shouldn't have said. Called him names I shouldn't have called him. I apologize for that. I'm sorry. It was all meant to promote the fight."
And yes, he said, if Frazier wants it, he would hug Smokin' Joe.
"I like Joe Frazier," he said. "Me and him was a good show. It was a good traveling show."
Frazier embraced the apology.
"I accept that," he said in a telephone interview from Wildwood, N.J. "I'll accept it, shake his hand and hug him when I see him. We're grown guys. This has been going on too long. It's like we've been fighting the Vietnam War. We're two athletes of the world. Why we been biting off bullets? We have to embrace each other. It's time to talk and get together. Life's too short."
~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=
He's right, of course. Life is too short for all of us, tragically so for some. It's a shameful waste of our time on earth to spend it slinging mud when we could be planting flowers.
I quote the eloquence of WombatWoman, in a sig which (like WW) is gone, but not forgotten:
Love hums in the veins like beehives,
Love whelms the strong and resurrects the meek.
And love eats death.
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