A Moment of Sunshine

A Moment of Sunshine

It don't take much to brighten up yer day it seems. I guess all that broodin' over the negative things goin' on in the world reaches the saturation point sooner or later. Ya just get fed up with one thing after another goin' awry. But pretty soon ya start to see the sunny side of even the saddest of affairs. What I'm talkin' about is the passin' o' Muhammad Ali. It's sad indeed that this "Mountain of a man" as his daughter described him is no longer with us and one feels an empathy with his family. But no one is really surprised, given his long standin' illness. But that's a separate issue.

What it was that put a smile on my face was not his boxin' prowess though that in itself was a wonder to behold, but rather his single-minded steadfastness in (with the help of his lawyer) defeating the U.S. government and the U.S army all in one fell swoop - without even firing a single shot. It was basically a battle between an adversarial government an' a pro-activist human bein'. It wouldn't have stood out that much for me had it not been for those two goons currently runnin' for the U.S presidency an' all their red-neck followers.

Ali exercised his right to refuse the draft and took whatever the government had the right to dish out. He steadfastly defended his position and spoke eloquently about the injustice of the Vietnam war, never once waverin' in his conviction. Well, three years later the government gave up an' he was allowed to resume his career. I think the government was still secretly smartin' over that one when Ho Chi Minh kicked the Americans' arses right outa Vietnam anyways an' Ali continued in his career, winning several more world titles in the process. The American government in the meantime went on for years ignorin' the poor slobs who went over to Vietnam on their behalf in their murderous adventures.

What made me smile was the recognition in it of a story I had written a few years ago called "Talking Stick" that pitted the different facets of adversity against pro=activity within the spirit of a single person, the talking stick representin' the basis of real truth. It paralleled the ancient Indian myth that tells you which path you choose accordin' to yer own wishes. It explains a lot about personal choices and has a ripple effect on communities and even nations. So each must live with the other since it's never gonna be settled. An' it makes me smile 'cause I ain't gonna be around that long to see the results. At least that's how it seems to me from up here on the top shelf where I can watch it all go by.

Just sayin'.