The Soul Of A Butterfly (9 page)

THE BOY

inside

THE MAN

THIS IS THE
story of a boy who lived inside of a man.

The boy and man were the same person, with one heart

but two minds between them.

When the boy wanted to run, the man would walk.

When the boy wanted to cry, the man would shout.

When the boy wanted to play, the man would work.

The boy and the man did not see eye to eye on much of anything,

except when it came to matters of the heart.

Both the man and the boy loved and shared alike.

One day the man decided to change his name

and the boy was scared.

He feared he would be forgotten or left behind

with all the other passing memories in time.

But the man reassured the boy that he could not be forgotten.

Because who he had been, and who he would become,

were one and the same, and they would always remain alike.

This helped soothe the frightened boy

and on that fateful day, both the boy and the man

learned what strength was made of.

At first, many people did not respect the man’s wish

to be called by his new name and in the beginning

the man was defiant.

But the boy inside reminded him of tolerance,

and this is how they both learned what patience could accomplish.

After some time had passed the man grew wiser.

But the boy remembered all the sad stories—stories of other

little boys who had faded into memories.

So, he made it a point to hold on.

He focused on remaining strong.

Then, one day, the man was called to war.

The boy might have gone, but the man knew better.

He knew that if he went, the innocent boy inside—his better self—would be lost forever.

So both the boy and the man learned courage.

After the man took a stand, holding onto his religious beliefs,

he was stripped of all that the world thought made him special, and

the boy became a survivor.

On that day both the boy and man embraced forgiveness.

For the man knew that if he did not let go of his pain,

their heart would harden.

Therefore, the boy and man moved on.

After much time had passed,

after struggling to carry on, the man was vindicated and his career

returned to him.

Although the man forgave, the boy remembered his pain.

Yet, through this ordeal the man learned

what faith insured, and the boy learned to endure.

Although the future proved promising and the life of the man

was rewarding, he would face many obstacles

and would continue to be tested.

And through all of the joy, laughter, tears, and pain,

the boy inside the man lived to tell the story;

He survived to share the glory.

hana yasmeen ali

I NEVER WALKED
into the ring solely for myself. I knew that the people of the world were watching. I knew that if they could see a strong person who had also suffered hardships, but who had never forgotten his people or where he came from, they might recognize in themselves what they saw in me. I knew that the war I was meant to fight was a spiritual war—a war that would lift spirits and elevate souls—not a war that would take other people’s lives.

When I look back, I see only what I have accomplished. The price I paid was nothing compared to what I gained. I lost the championship title. I lost three and a half of my prime fighting years. I lost financial security and public acclaim, but I gained something greater by giving it all up—

A title no man or government could ever take away: I was the People’s Champion.

A worldly loss often turns into a
Spiritual
gain
.

the presence of
GOD

THIS IS AN
old story that I like to tell. It comes from the teachings of Sufism.

Long ago, there lived a very powerful king. The king had a great warrior by the name of Rafael. No one within or without the kingdom could match Rafael’s strength. He was the greatest of all the warriors. As time passed and Rafael remained undefeated, he grew very proud of his power, strength, and bravery. This made the king uncomfortable, so he thought that he should try
to
humble Rafael. But the king could not find anyone who could match Rafael’s strength or courage. He was one of a kind.

Then, one day Rafael decided to leave the king to travel the world. During his absence a son was born to him. His name was Cushman. The child’s mother died during childbirth, and the king took the child into his palace. No one knew he was Rafael’s son. This was the opportunity the king sought. Over time the child became a great fighter. He was so strong and powerful that no one in the land could match him.

Then, after many years, Rafael returned from his journey. The king did not tell Cushman that Rafael was his father; he only said that a powerful warrior had come from far away to do them harm, so Cushman was told to fight him. Since Rafael’s departure, it had become the custom of every wrestler to kill his beaten opponent if he did not surrender. Everyone in the land went to see the bout between two undefeated warriors. The king was sure that the son would conquer his father, and with great energy and strength, he did. But Rafael was so proud of his great power throughout his life that he would not surrender.

So Cushman took out his dagger and aimed it at Rafael’s heart, whereupon Rafael revealed he was Cushman’s father. Cushman fell at his father’s feet, saying “Father, I would rather be killed than be your conquerer.”

His father replied, “Do not let it grieve you, I am happy to know that I have not been defeated by anyone other than my own son, who is my own self.”

What a change there would be in the world if we all recognized God in our fellow man. We may see him in ourselves and in our friends, but how much better if we could also recognize him in our so-called enemies?

standing
TALL

IF I HAD
not been forced from boxing during the height of my career, I might never have known how strong my faith and beliefs were. The greater our level of understanding, the harder the tests become. The more we master the challenges, the deeper our faith becomes.

When I was stripped of my title and banned from the ring, I didn’t keep faith as part of some deal with God where I would come out on top again. I didn’t know what was going to happen or if I would ever be allowed to box again. But I believed purely and confidently that in the end, even if it meant going to jail, I would be all right.

When God is with you, no one can defeat you. I put all my faith in God, and in return he filled me up with courage and strength.

During the years I was not allowed to box for money, I opened a restaurant called Champ Burgers to support my family. I also took a part in a Broadway play called Big Time Buck White. The show didn’t run very long,
but
I got great reviews for my performance and I had a lot of fun doing it. I still like to sing songs from the show, like “Black Balloons.”

But what I enjoyed more than anything was giving lectures to people as diverse as brothers in Harlem and college students in America’s leading universities.

I just put on my suit and tie, picked up my briefcase, and went out to share my beliefs. My lectures, based on Islamic teachings, were on various subjects. Some of the titles were, “The Intoxication of Life,” “The Purpose of Life,” “The Real Cause of Man’s Distress,” “The Journey to the Goal in Life,” and, one of my favorites, “The Heart of Man.” They contained important insights that spoke to something deep inside me.

In addition to the lectures, I would often share some of my poetry. My poems were not great literature, as my critics often pointed out, but they served my purposes, which were to entertain, to challenge, and hopefully to inject a little humor into the particular situation I was in at the time.

Following a lecture at Harvard University, I was asked to give a short poem. I thought for a moment and said, “Me, Wheee!” I learned later that the shortest poem had been, “Adam had ’em.” Now, I had a record in poetry as well—for the shortest poem!

Someone jokingly asked me to become a professor of poetry at Harvard. I was honored, but I declined …

Pay heed, my children, and you all will see

Why this is not the time for your university.

It’s not the pay, although that’s small,

I have to show the world I can still walk tall.

the greatest

KNOWLEDGE

(
TO MUHAMMAD ALI
)

He’s learned a lot, traveling around the world,

Being with all kinds of different people.

Little people, big people, wealthy and poor people.

Life has been his college.

The truth is, he never really learned from books,

But he sucks in knowledge, information, and ideas

Just like an elephant sucks in water,

And he trumpets it all out like an elephant, too.

ANGELO DUNDEE

THERE IS A
door to the heart of every man; it is either open or closed. When we value material things more than we value the well-being of mankind, the door to the heart is closed. When we are decent to others and share ourselves through kindness and compassion, the door to the heart is open. The greatest truth in life is that the happiness and peace of each can be reached only through the happiness and peace of all.

People look for wonders, miracles—surprises of all kinds. Yet the greatest surprise is to be found in one’s heart. The greatness of a man does not depend on his material possessions. Regardless of how wealthy he may be, if his heart is not pure, he cannot be great. What most concerns poets are matters of the heart. Material things lose their value over time, while matters of the heart deepen and strengthen with age and wisdom.

The heart is resilient. It can be torn and mended. It can be broken and made whole again. It can rise and fall, and fall and rise.

What gives a person the strength to stand up for a cause, remain strong on the battlefield, endure all that may come in life? What gives us the power to have patience, and the will to endure? It is the heart.

Some people are so decent, loving and compassionate that the purity of their heart is almost visible. Some people have to struggle a little more to make these qualities a part of their being. Some people have to
really
work at just being civil. Some people seem to work at hardening their heart so that even the least bit of compassion or love won’t seep out. I think, though, that everyone has the capacity for love, kindness, and compassion. But how much they allow those “emotions” to guide their lives varies significantly from person to person. In my own life, I try to allow these principles to guide me in the way I live and interact with others.