Everyday Canvas

Free to Be

Prompt: " I don't have to be what you want me to be. I'm free to be what I want."~ Muhammad Ali
What do you think he meant by this famous quote? Has his struggle made a difference in society? Do you have that same kind of conviction about your own beliefs?

=========================

I don’t know what exactly Muhammad Ali meant, but this is what I think on the same subject.

Even if we are here on Earth without our consent, we need to choose and act freely to be how we want to be. Freedom of choice is the key here. No one should choose for anyone else without consent. On the other hand, the choices we make shouldn’t hurt others or invade their property or personal values. What shouldn’t be forgotten any time is that a responsibility is attached to all our freedoms.

Ali’s struggle was an eye-opener for the society in general, and I applauded Ali when he refused to go to a war he didn’t believe in, even if that meant losing what was important to him. Rather than what he did in boxing, however, he has been a real champ in the way he treated less fortunate people and in the way he handled the authorities to force them into re-thinking their laws and deeds. Plus, he was a generous, compassionate man with a sense of humor and he helped many people and charities, but I am an old timer, and I didn’t like it when he said, “I am the greatest!” I think, even if you don’t believe in a Creator, no one can be greater than the entire Creation.

It is also true that I was never in Ali’s situation, so saying that I have the same or similar kind of conviction would be an off-hand statement. I have, however, stood my ground on things important to me, and this includes the family I grew up in and the family I have now. Still, I am not a fighter. I rather handle things amicably than fight fiercely, and I try not to “sting like a bee.” Even with verbal arguments, not that I give in, but I am not very good with harsh words. For that, I usually refer to and act on Ali’s another quote that says: "Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer."