More
than a Champion
Refusal, not
conformity, makes one powerful. Anyone can work hard enough, be dedicated
enough, focus and apply themselves to conform to or beat a system. What defines
an individual as a unifying force cannot be fitting in, but standing up to face
an abusive system.
This is evident in
the character of Geel Piet in the Power
of One. He is detested by black and white men alike, has spent more time in
jail than on the streets, and has no one but himself to rely on. He still
manages to outwit the most difficult system in South Africa: the prison system.
He made every action unnoticeable, forgettable, except for one act, the last
act of his life. He would have lived, died, and passed out of memory, if not
for his refusal to betray his friend in the face of torment and death. The
reader can forget everything about the man except for his defiant last action
against the system he lived and died by.
Muhammad
Ali, A.K.A Cassius Clay is a
powerful, incredible individual, who has taken on the champions of the world in
a sport, “…so savagely competitive as boxing,” (Documentary: A.K.A Cassius Clay). He has withstood
more challenges to his title in a shorter time period than any other world
champion, ever. Muhammad, “…could never take his title for granted,” (A.K.A. Cassius Clay). Ali had talent and
dedication that found him in a gym six days a week for decades running. While
history may remember him as the greatest boxer of the era, perhaps even ever,
people will forget this. No one remembers a feeling they never felt. Doc, a
passionate and caring music teacher and a loving mentor in the book, The Power
of One tells us this in as many words, “I cannot teach you what I cannot
feel…It is not possible to touch the heart of the Negro man’s music when he cannot
feel it through his fingers,” (Courtenay 383). In the same way, few can
empathize with the same passion, determination, dedication and pride that make
someone a great boxer.
We
remember our heroes for a while; people still recall the powerful emotions that
swept them away as the, “Louisville Loudmouth…a braggart who is somehow not
obnoxious,” (A.K.A. Cassius Clay),
drove potent love and hatred at so many fights. But when this fails, either the
memory finds something stronger, something more universal and integral to the
human psyche or the memory flickers out.
Ali is remembered
for his refusal. He stood up an unjust system, which drafted him and his
brothers in faith to fight in Vietnam, by refusing to step forward and be
inaugurated into the U.S. Military. Ali realized that he would never be called
upon to fight and kill. He would be paid by the government to stay in shape,
perhaps to box. He risked very little in going to Vietnam, but he faced certain
consequences at home. Rather than compromise his values and fight for a cause
he saw as unjust, he surrendered his title. But this loss did not crush him.
Rather it established him closer to people’s hearts. It made him a more
unifying force in America, in overcoming the ever present tension between the
whites and blacks. As he put it, “All of the money, the friendship of those for
the war…would still be nothing…if I am in that courtroom with the will of
almighty Allah,” (A.K.A. Cassius Clay).
Ali knew he was in
a bigger ring, and the stakes were higher, but he would not go down. So
although the movie leaves Muhammad stripped of his hard earned title, the
ending remains a true testament to the power,
…of being the odd man out: the man
who senses that there is a collective sanity to humans and who assumes the role
of the…searching spirit…The power of one was based on the courage to remain
separate, to think through to the truth, and not to be beguiled by convention
or the plausible argument of those who expect to maintain power (Courtenay
360).
But
boxing is just as important in Muhammad’s life, if not more important than his
religion. While it is easy to forget what we cannot feel, we must understand
what boxing was to Ali, it was his soul, his determination, his true passion.
It was the full expression of the power of Ali’s life, of how he could be the
one who stood out, who pushed back. Boxing was, for Ali, “—One idea, one heart,
one mind, one plan one determination,” (Courtenay 103).
Boxing,
while at one level, is a sport, it is, on another level, a passion, a
determination, an expression of a mentality integral to one’s life. In Ali’s
case, it was expressed in a constant strain of witty, degrading, humiliating,
and all too amusing chatter, which only paused during rounds of boxing. His
speech expressed a certainty, a pride, and a confidence, that he was the best,
and that he would win, because he knew his sport and he loved his sport with a
passion that exceeded his opponents.
Boxing is harsh,
uncaring, and unforgiving, but it draws a deep reserve out of those who love
the sport, in a way no other sport can. Boxing makes a person reach for the
intelligence to read an opponent, and the self knowledge that both demonstrates
and shatters the boundaries of the individual. Boxing calls out an inner reserve
and determination to keep going, to drive harder and deeper. It requires a plan
which makes the competitor think long enough to tire the opponent. Finally
boxing requires a push to the heart of the individual. It is on this level that
boxing becomes an art. It becomes a trial of spirit, to see which contender can
go the distance, and can push beyond the reserves of their physical, emotional,
and intellectual selves.
It
is this innate connection, portrayed as so artful and beautiful in both the
book and the documentary, which binds Peekay and Ali together. Peekay, the
protagonist in The Power of One, is a
young English boy, born into the heart of the racist and hateful culture in
South Africa in the early 1940’s. When he turns five he is sent to boarding school,
where he is subjected to pointless violence and racism, perpetrated by the
twelve year old character called Judge. Peekay draws a goal from his trials to
become the Welterweight World Champion. This becomes the driving force in his
life, an expression of the desire to triumph over the horrors of his past, but
the author leaves this desire unfulfilled. Just as Ali ended up with a 3 year
suspension from boxing, Peekay has nothing more than an empty nest of
loneliness birds to show for all his work. But Peekay’s true goal was not to
become a champion by conforming to a system, but to be powerful and independent
of any system. Peekay realizes his goal when he faces the system, the
oppressor, personified in the character of the Judge, beats it down, and crushes
it.
In a similar way
Ali’s true dream is realized. He says again and again that, “I am the
greatest,” or, “I am the champion.” Pride does not allow him to accept the loss
of his title. He states this perfectly, “I earned it in the ring, and I can only
lose it in the ring,” (A.K.A. Cassius
Clay) and again at a public speech he asks, “Who is the champion (crowd roars his name),” (A.K.A. Cassius Clay). More important
than healing his own wounded ego, he stood up and refused to yield to the
government that attempted to force him into a war that he was not willing to
fight.
His true dream was
to extend his title in the ring to his beliefs. His belief, partly an extension
of his pride, was that, “Black is beautiful,” (A.K.A. Cassius Clay). He wants to champion the rights of his
people, and show that he can face a system just as he has faced an opponent,
and show the racist system, just as his opponents thought, “I can’t hurt this
fellow because he has no respect for who I am,” (A.K.A. Cassius Clay).
So
it cannot be function within a system, but response to a system that defines an
individual. The Power of One is a
story not of vengeance or perseverance, but a story of the triumph of the human
spirit. Peekay finds this triumph through mentors such as Hoppie, Doc and Geel
Piet, through school, but most importantly through boxing. Boxing is both the
truest expression and passion of Peekay. Ali also finds his spirit in his
boxing, and the most outstanding example of this, as pointed out by Cuss de
Moto the world famous boxing coach, is Ali’s character. De Moto calls
character, “As critical as fitness,” (A.K.A.
Cassius Clay). It is what makes a boxer powerful. He supports this by
pointing to the first match where Ali took serious punishment. His opponent hit
deep enough into Ali to beat the fight out of anyone. Ali simply absorbed the
punishment, and got straight back into the fight, despite the best effort of
his opponent. Once again the spirit is the critical aspect in boxing. Ali
should have been winded, a wide open target, but he kept his guard up, and
pushed back, driving from an inner reserve his opponent could not comprehend.
So despite the
shortcomings and failures, and the intolerable trials of an individual spirit,
we see two clear examples of the courage and strength of the human spirit in
Peekay and Ali. In the end, what defines a champion, is not the successes
within a competition, but the ability,
…to convert obstacles to stepping stones. It is possible to
strip a man of a title, but in a more important sense, a champion means a set
of qualities, rather than an official title. A champion is a species of Hero,
and a hero is nourished by misfortune. That is why he attracts legend. Let us
hope then, that no action of defense departments, or federal judiciary, or
Muslim factionalism can quench these qualities that make Ali a champion. He is
more than a champion. He is a man, (A.K.A.
Cassius Clay).
We
will forget the Champion. Memory needs more than a Champion. Memory needs an
individual.
