Compassion for one another - and the ability to see someone is valuable no matter who they are - is one of the rarest gifts a person can have. When that person is also one of the most famous people in the world that gift can expand and change many people’s lives and give them hope.
Former heavyweight boxing champion of the world Muhammad Ali was one of those people, and according to those who knew him, his whole life was about lifting people up. It turns out that even though he’s passed away, his stories are still inspiring people and leading to change.
A new Audible Original called Ali in Me hosted by his wife Lonnie Ali and one of his close friends, John Ramsey, shares many of those inspiring stories both from people who knew him and from people who are inspired by his example of loving people so well. Billy Crystal, Muhammad’s daughter Laila, Will Smith (who portrayed him on film), Black Thought and Mike Tyson are among the many guests in the eight episode series who reflect on the man who changed their lives so much.
I was privileged to witness one of those stories being recounted in person at the most recent On Air Fest in Brooklyn when actress Rosie Perez shared about the unusual circumstances of how she met Muhammad Ali. She had been invited to an event and she was very upset with someone to the point of being about to get in a fight when someone put his hand on her shoulder. She swung around thinking it was security and she yelled at the man. It turned out to be Muhammad Ali and she felt humiliated. Instead of being upset, he comforted her and led her out of the room. When she described it as “the ultimate champ of the entire universe having my back?” The entire room got very emotional because in that moment we empathized with the feeling of feeling humiliated and then being truly seen by someone who had the power to change how you felt.
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In addition to stories like that one we also get to hear the champ himself giving words of wisdom that bookend each story. For someone who grew up being inspired by him already, it was amazing to hear him say things like “What’s my life’s purpose? The moment you ask yourself that you’ve taken the first step on the path to wisdom.”
I had the honor of speaking with John Ramsey and Lonnie Ali about the series and she told me that Muhammad’s voice in Ali in Me was from an unreleased project by a producer named Malcolm Cecil. Muhammad approached him during the time that Parkinson’s was taking his voice away and he wanted to record some spoken word pieces about what he had learned in his life through his faith.
Lonnie as a little girl grew up across the street from Muhammad Ali’s mother and they became friends. He always had a lecture for her, and she recalled with a laugh about the time he came home from getting his jaw wired shut from a fight with Ken Norton and still had to talk to her about what he thought was important. “I’ve never encountered anyone with a (giving) heart like his,” she said, “and everything he was saying on the recordings is still relevant right now.”
Having a Big Heart
Lonnie Ali: We just finished a study at the Muhammad Ali Center on compassion. He cared about people he didn’t know. He was a special case and God touched him before he was born. For him it came natural, but for most people, it's something that takes practice and parents have to develop it in their children. It was so easy for him. He didn’t care about the baggage we brought forward. He cared that you deserved love and respect and kindness and treated everyone that way.
John Ramsey - Fame aside he’s the best example of the human spirit i’ve ever seen.I would watch the way he would listen to people with patience. Lonnie would say you’re on Muhammad time. He wants to connect with you. He loved talking to everyone. People would say it was one of the best days of my life when I met him, and you know what I bet it was a pretty good day for him too.
On Meeting Him
John: I always thought we clicked with our sense of humor, but after I thought about it he always gravitated to the underdog. Then I thought, maybe I was that person. I was 20 years old, my mom had been married 5 times, and I didn’t have much direction. He said “John you need me”. He was good at recognizing people who needed help, and I think when I met him, I was the underdog I speak of so much.
Was Muhammad ever scared?
Lonnie: He was frustrated (from Parkinson’s). His moniker when he was younger was the Louisville Lip because he always had something to say. Parkinson’s frustrated him, but he was never scared because he had such deep faith in God that he knew that whatever came his way he knew that God placed it in his path to slow him down and prepare him for what would come after. He used to say that “this life is like a mosquito’s wing compared to what will come after.”
John: He always looked at the positives. One time I told him “ I’m feeling down, do you ever get that way?”- “I was the heavyweight champ and one of the most recognizable people on the planet," He would say. "I feel pretty good.” Even when his condition started to worsen when he would walk into a room people would stop and he would brighten the room. Come to think of it, when he was in the room I suddenly felt better.
How Ali in Me Came About
Lonnie - After he passed I was devastated, but I saw how people came together at his funeral and I hadn’t seen anything like it. It was a celebration of who he was and what he stood for, and an amazing week that he told me would happen after he died, and that’s why he wanted his memorial service in an arena - “because my fans will come.” But after that, there was a void. People wanted more of him and I wanted to bring his voice forward and talk to people about what an impact he’s made on their lives. One thing he loved was a motorhome God bless him and cruise around the whole United States meeting people. He once showed Willie Nelson how to hit the speed bag in a motorhome.
On Treating People Equally
Lonnie: In making this project I met so many people who I hadn’t expected to carry his heart, and former Governor John Kasich was one of them. When I was talking with him he made me smile so much and it was amazing how much in his heart he was like Muhammad. This was a man on the other side of the aisle, but Muhammad never had an aisle, he was all over the place and I have to guard myself on this. Muhammad never did this, but we put labels on people and put them in a category and have preconceived notions about them and that’s something that Muhammad instinctively didn’t do.
John: We may never see a boxer with his speed and strength again, but what impressed me the most about Muhammad was how truly godly he was. I like people who’ve taken their platform and made the world a better place and he had this cool cat swagger about him and people need to know about that part of him too. He was fun and had a childlike humor that I tell my kids to never lose. He never closed doors on anyone, and he didn't shun anyone. He brought them into the fold, which made him happy.
Muhammad’s Best Lesson
Lonnie - His biggest pearl of wisdom was to love people unconditionally and forgive and forgive often. If we love people authentically like he did, then we wouldn’t have the problems in the world that have. You have to love all of God’s creation especially if you profess one of the faiths. We need to love one another and it is the most powerful thing we possess.
The story about Muhammad at On Air Fest that stuck with me the most was when he and Lonnie were walking down the street and he saw someone looking sad and gave him all the money in his wallet even though he wasn’t begging.
Lonnie: That happened a lot! He couldn’t pass a homeless person without giving them something. “I did what God wanted me to do," he said. “And what they do with it that’s up to them.” In Islam if you see someone in need and you can help, it is a sin to not help them.
Summary
Ali in Me is a profoundly worthwhile listen for people who share Muhammad Ali’s heart for other people and is a fascinating look at how his legacy continues to inspire other’s years after his death.
