Muhammed Ali is truly a legend
Letter to the Editor
While he no longer dances in the ring, Muhammed Ali was still graceful when he came to the Notre Dame campus this past weekend. His visit stirred the souls of everyone involved, even as we struggled to understand Parkinson's disease. It was special for the Notre Dame community and boxers to know that Ali came to visit our campus and watch our tournament. For me, to be in the presence of one of the most famous people of our century, an incredible boxer who "shook up the world" with his style and poetry, a man who met over 20 different world leaders in his travels ... was awe inspiring.
Yet, I believe, what we can take away from Ali's visit is far greater than all of his amazing accomplishments. Whether you agree with his views, or like his style, the most special, amazing thing that Ali gave us this weekend was his time. Ali could have simply appeared briefly for a couple of fights and left. Nobody would have been offended. Ali can stop in any town in most of the world and command an audience. Parkinson's disease must fatigue him. Yet Ali stayed at Notre Dame for five hours. He continued to meet people, smile, tell jokes, give hugs and touch everyone he met. He even signed autographs, which must be a hard task. I don't pretend to know Ali's mind, but I do believe that he is aware of how much he touches us all and how special a moment with him is for us. And so he stayed in the boxing room until every person there had the opportunity to meet him. Then when finished, instead of bolting for the exit before an hour drive home, Ali stayed, smiled, told some jokes, did a levitation trick and left us captivated.
Ali shows us that the greatest gift we have to give is ourselves. This gift is not restricted to a man of Ali's fame. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "the greatest gift to give is a portion of thyself." Lou Holtz used to echo that theme and remind us to never underestimate the impact that we can have on each other. Just a moment of our time, thoughts, energy and compassion can make a world of difference in someone else's life. Every day, we have the ability, and gift, to touch someone else's life. We may never realize the implications at the moment of reaching out to others, but we should always keep trying. Ali was a great boxer. He may not show that now. But he did truly show us what it means to be a great person ... by sharing a portion of himself with the Notre Dame community.
Jeevan Subbiah '98
Former boxer and Keenan A.R.
March 7, 2000
All Viewpoint Stories for Thursday, March 9, 2000
