Muhammad Ali: “The Smartest One in the Room and Most Courageous Guy on the Block”
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Here’s a guy who literally failed his U.S. Army IQ test when they went to draft him for Vietnam.
His response: “I said I was the greatest, not the smartest.”
The truth of the matter is that Muhammad Ali was the “smartest one in the room” as well as “the most courageous guy on the block”.
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Special Note:
There is a very good reason for the extraordinary outpouring of reverential sentiment and effusive respect for Muhammad Ali. He spoke the truth in an era when it was very dangerous to do so. Then he lived his own truth. He took back his power from the System. And then he spoke truth to power in a way very few will ever do from such a high public platform. In other words the guy had the COURAGE of Mahatma Gandhi and Joan of Arc all in one person. Very few have ever been willing to stand up to the Military-Industrial Complex at the very height of their career knowing it could all be taken from them in a flash. Ali knew that he was living in the “Belly of the Beast” and was not timid about saying so. This is why he was so admired; very few people anywhere in American society have courage anymore. People in general know this and, therefore, greatly admire what they so profoundly lack. Were the USA to be populated with even a handful of Muhammad Alis, the current predicament of societal collapse and political corruption, economic depression and financial hardship might have been significantly lessened. How ironic that this awesome professional boxer and brave soul paved the way for the first black president who then created an Obamanation through his relentless warmongering. Whereas Ali was the spearhead of the very first popular movement in recorded history to terminate a major war. Now you know why he is a real modern-day hero. Even Martin Luther King derived great inspiration from him.
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Refusing to be drafted for the immoral and repugnant Vietnam War is a perfect example of just how smart Muhammad Ali really was. He knew that he would be used as cannon fodder for that rich man’s war. He also knew that they were going for all his homeboys. Boy, did Muhammad Ali ever throw a huge wrench in their war machine. And they never even saw it coming ….
Why else was he so smart? Well here’s his great response to the folks in Hollywood who are responsible for placing the famous Hollywood Stars. He wasn’t at all for having his star placed on the ground like all the rest of them. No, he sure didn’t either.
Muhammad Ali dead: Why the iconic boxer’s Hollywood star isn’t on the Walk of Fame
As for his wordsmithing, there was simply no one better at trash-talking—NO ONE! Not before him; not after him. He had that gift of gab that endeared the whole world to him. If you don’t believe it, then just watch this video.
VIDEO: Muhammad Ali: ‘Not just the greatest boxer of all time. The greatest trash talker EVER!’
Not only was Muhammad Ali a great boxer, he was also a very courageous soul. Just think of how courageous it must have been to have a job knocking people out for a living and yet having the courage of your convictions to risk prison by rejecting your draft notice. He really didn’t care that the establishment would heap scorn upon him for being an ‘apparent’ hypocrite. The fact was that there was NOT an iota of hypocrisy in him. That’s why everyone loved him.
Muhammad Ali Risked It All When He Opposed The Vietnam War
Even Martin Luther King Junior was inspired by Ali when he saw him go from college campus to college campus riling up the students against the corporate-driven Vietnam War. King was so empowered that he, too, found his voice in order to warn his black kin that they would be sacrificed in Nam in much greater numbers than their white brethren. And so they were. And so was MLK killed for his forceful speeches uttered against the evils of the Vietnam War, as well as the perpetual war economy.
As for his boxing prowess and fighting skill, oh, yeah he’ll be remembered for that, too. The following video shows just how good he was at living up to his signature ringside tactic summed up by his extraordinary ability to: ‘Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.’
VIDEO: ‘Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee’ by Muhammad Ali
Did we fail to mention how incredibly funny Muhammad was? If this guy didn’t go into boxing, surely he would have given George Pryor, Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock a run for their money.
As for good ole fashioned wisdom, yeah, he had a LOT of that, too.
As a matter of fact, if you really listened to him closely you realized that the now deceased Muhammad Ali was the quintessential court jester of his day. You know how the court jester was really the smartest one in the king’s court. That if the kingdom was to thrive or if the king was to survive all the court intrigues, then he had better listen to his court jester. For it is from the mouth of the jester that truth — real deep truth — flows for all to hear. Not to do so — hear it and act on it — is to neglect one of life’s most sacred and important duties.
Let’s listen to what Muhammad Ali had to tell us all.
