We have recently heard of the demise, of a mighty, Charismatic personality-Mohammed Ali. A person who had pushed boundaries, shaken up & burst open Horizons! In his BELIEF of being the courageously, mammoth spirit he was, and is today a legend!. Even today he is an inspiration to millions, to be more than they are, to enthusiastically & fearlessly be the best that they can be. His passing on too doesn’t have the power to smother his spirit & his energy. Some of his words stir up a few thoughts…
“I’ve wrestled with alligators,
I’ve tussled with a whale.
I done handcuffed lightning
And throw thunder in jail.
You know I’m bad.
just last week, I murdered a rock,
Injured a stone, Hospitalized a brick.
I’m so mean, I make medicine sick.”
― Muhammad Ali
Yes that is Muhammad Ali, Honestly barely, encompassing his true essence !
What set me thinking is today’s youth,who are different, they don’t follow the set pathways like the generations before them. They have different Gadgets, they dress differently, behave differently speak in a manner that’s unheard of & type a lingo that’s strange, infact it almost looks like symbols!
“I know where I’m going and I know the truth, and I don’t have to be what you want me to be. I’m free to be what I want.”
– Muhammad Ali.
Are these youth free to be truly who they are ?
But does that mean that we frame them “dim witted” or “disinterested”. Does that mean that they need to be forced to follow those great engineers or doctors or other run of the mill professions that came before them. Does it mean they need discipline and strict control to be what people have chosen to be before them?
“Often it isn’t the mountains ahead that wear you out, it’s the little pebble in your shoe.”
― Muhammad Ali
Are we being a pebble in the shoe of these young ones?
What if that is not what they are meant to be? What if there is a skill, a passion, a roaring desire in these youth that is not heard, nor understood by us? What if what we see is not what they ARE? What if they are waiting for a doorway to pour out their incredible staggering selves? What if they are striving for an opportunity to be a colossal prodigy, although even peculiar or unconventional.
“If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it – then I can achieve it.”
― Muhammad Ali
Could it be our belief in them that will help them blossom to be the best that they can be?
But In our attempt to coerce them into fitting in someone else’s shoes what if we kill what makes their heart sing, we asphyxiate what they could offer to the world? What if what we do is: Stifle that which could be original, Avant-garde or even LEGENDARY?
“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them-a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”
― Muhammad Ali
No matter how different or bizarre their choice of profession – are we able to see this humongous will that these kids have ? Is it not time we give them support & direction to unravel to the true Champions they are?
