The Soul Of A Butterfly

That’s from the very first chapter of the book.

Yes, a memoir by one of the greatest boxers of all time begins with an ode to LOVE.

As I read that passage, I thought of a few of my favorite Stoic philosophers: Epictetus (who liked to use boxing metaphors) and his teacher, Musonius Rufus (who tells us we need to compete in love) and the student of their students, Marcus Aurelius (who strived to embody this wisdom).

You may find it surprising that a book by a boxer would begin with a chapter on love. I certainly found it surprising that my all-time favorite passage on love comes from a Stoic philosopher—following almost exactly the same approach as Ali.

Here’s how Musonius Rufus puts it in his Lectures and Sayings: “In marriage, there must be, above all, companionship and care of husband and wife for each other, both in sickness and in health and on every occasion. Each party entering into a marriage desires this, after all, just as they desire children. When this mutual care is complete and those who live together provide it to each other completely, each competes to surpass the other in giving such care. Such a marriage is admirable and deserves emulation; such a partnership is beautiful.”

As we’ve discussed, Musonius Rufus taught Epictetus who then taught the guys who taught Marcus Aurelius. As we’ve also discussed, Epictetus loved to use the metaphor of a boxer to make one of the most important points of his (and our shared) philosophy.

As he tells us: “But what is philosophy? Doesn’t it simply mean preparing ourselves for what may come? Don’t you understand that really amounts to saying that if I would so prepare myself to endure, then let anything happen that will? Otherwise, it would be like the boxer exiting the ring because he took some punches. Actually, you can leave the ring without consequence, but what advantage would come from abandoning the pursuit of wisdom? So, what should each of us say to every trial we face? This is what I’ve trained for, for this my discipline!”

Then there’s Aurelius. In his Meditations, he tells us: “Let your one delight and refreshment be to pass from one service to the community to another, with God ever in mind.”

Here’s to entering the ultimate race (and “boxing” ring!) as we encourage one another to live with more and more love every step of the way!

That’s from one of the early chapters called “Black Is Beautiful.”

It’s passages like that (and a couple more we’ll chat about in a moment) that open my eyes as a White man to just how different (and privileged) my experience of life has been.

We scratched the surface of the challenge of seeing that reality in our Notes on White Fragility.

Over the span of a few days last week, I read this book and Eric Thomas’s You Owe You and another memoir by Kareem Abdul-Jabbarcalled Coach Wooden and Me. As I read each book, I realized just how powerful these biographies are as a vehicle for White men like me to open our eyes to just how radically different our life experiences have been.

I HIGHLY recommend reading those and other autobiographies by Black men and women as a vehicle to expand your awareness—while getting inspired by seeing Heroic greatness in action.

Now…

Let’s talk about the PURPOSE the young Cassius Clay (we’ll talk about why he changed his name in a moment) felt when he saw and experienced the injustice in the world.

Later in the book, there’s a chapter called “My Fighting Had a Purpose.”

In that chapter, Ali tells us: “When you saw me in the boxing ring fighting, it wasn’t just so I could beat my opponent. My fighting had a purpose. I had to be successful in order to get people to listen to the things I had to say.

I was fighting to win the world heavyweight title so I could go out in the streets and speak my mind. I wanted to go to the people, where unemployment, drugs, and poverty were part of everyday life. I wanted to be a champion who was accessible to everyone. I hoped to inspire others to take control of their lives and to live with pride and self-determination. I thought perhaps if they saw that I was living my life the way I chose to live it—without fear and with determination—they might dare to take the risks that could set them free.”

Remember: The Hero’s secret weapon is love.

For what purpose are YOU fighting life’s battles?

Connect to that deeper purpose. Forge the strength for two. Give us all you’ve got.

TODAY.

The great Muhammad Ali almost didn’t make it the 1960 Olympics.

You know what he was afraid of?

He was afraid of flying.

Yet…

He mustered the courage to board the plane and fulfill his destiny.

And…

Of course, he chose to act in the presence of fear over and over and over again in his life.

How about YOU? Have you ever *almost* let fear stop you from doing something that became one of the most defining moments of your life? (I, of course, certainly have.)

Even more importantly…

Are you CURRENTLY letting fear stop you from doing what you need to do?

KNOW that your infinite potential exists on the other side of your comfort zone as you say, “BRING IT ON!” and give us all you’ve got.

P.S. I recently watched a great documentary on another great Black man who was a contemporary of Ali called Bill Russell: Legend. I Highly recommend it for both the Heroic inspiration and the cultural education.

As we discuss in Overachievement, Russell was so nervous before every basketball game he played that he threw up. Then he went out and dominated. Remember: Courage isn’t the ABSENCE of fear. It’s the willingness to ACT IN THE PRESENCE OF FEAR.

P.P.S. Check out our Notes on a memoir by another all-time great fighter: George St-Pierre’s The Way of the Fight. It’s basically a treatise on his relationship to fear. While you’re at it, check out our Notes on Ronda Rousey’s My Fight Your Fight for her perspective on the subject.

It’s 1960. You’re 18 years old.

Imagine training relentlessly to qualify and then go to the Olympics. You win the Gold medal.

You’re incredibly proud of yourself and the fact that you just represented your country well.

You come home to Louisville, Kentucky.

And…

YOU CAN’T EVEN EAT AT THE RESTAURANT IN YOUR HOMETOWN.

As a White man, I can’t even imagine that experience. That’s literally crazy.

Yet…

That’s exactly the world Muhammad Ali and millions of other Black men and women lived in as recently as the 1960’s. And as insane as that reality was, go back just a few more generations and those very same men and women and children were enslaved. Gah.

So…

What would YOU do in that situation?

The young Cassius Clay threw his gold medal into the river and fiercely committed to doing something about the injustice on behalf of his people.

Then, a few years later, he threw away his name and became Muhammad Ali.

P.S. Ali tells us about why he changed his name. The short story is because he was named after his ancestors’ slave master. Did you know the last name of slaves would CHANGE when they were bought and sold? (Again, it’s impossible for me to even imagine that.)

He tells us that “Elijah Muhammad later gave me the name Muhammad Ali. Muhammad means ‘worthy of all praises,’ and Ali means ‘most high.’”

btw: Check out the Netflix documentary Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali for another powerful perspective of his complex life and times.

P.P.S. A couple weekends ago, Emerson and I had an incredible just-the-boys trip to the Texas State Chess Championships. We dominated our pre-match protocol—eating, moving, sleeping, breathing, and focusing our minds like professional optimizers.

He wound up winning the state championships for his JV division.

Of course, I was proud of him. And… As I looked around and saw how many of the kids and their families were clearly struggling with their weight and their confidence and their overall well-being, my heart was broken.

What difference does it make if MY kid could compete at a high level in every area of his life if THESE kids didn’t have anywhere near the same resources and advantages that he had?

Then I deepened my resolve to do everything in my power to help as many kids and their families as we can.

That’s from a chapter called “Champions to Come.”

Right after that he tells us: “I’m going to share a little secret with you. Running has always been the source of my stamina. Early in my career I learned to run until I was tired, then run even more after that. But all the running I did before the fatigue and pain was just the introduction to my workout. The real conditioning began when the pain set in. That was when it was time to start pushing. That was when I would count every mile as extra strength and stamina.

What counts in the ring is what you do after you’re exhausted. The same is true of life.

Outrun the people who quit when they feel discomfort, outrun the people who stop because of despair, outrun the people who are delayed because of prejudice, outrun the people who surrender to failure, and outrun the opponent who loses sight of the goal. Because if you want to win, the will can never retire, the race can never stop, and faith can never weaken.”

To which I say: Amen.

And… LET’S GO, HERO!