MUHAMMAD ALI

Hey.

Who are the strong people around us? Have you ever thought about that? Well, a friend of mine told me about the ones he calls the "Muhammad Alis". A self-speaking image, isn't it? These ones who never seem to care about public opinion. Just like our famous boxer. Yeah he's kind of a role model for him. The embodiment of self-confidence. Faith. Freedom. Strength. No matter what people say.

"If he wanted or planed to do something. Then he just did it! "

So you can easily understand how surprised and amused I was when he told me he had first considered me as one of them. Me. The poor little guy who's afraid not to be loved. Who's always been scared to be..himself.

At that moment, I understood how big the gap can be between the way people see you, and the way you really are. He saw strength where I saw cowardice. Image is such a powerful thing, don't you think? A mere illusion, that can hide the wolf behind the lamb's cover and urge you not to get the angel back from the devil. That little trick that can make you look like a strong guy to your people, when in fact you're just..you.

The first thought that pulled through when my friend told me that was that even Muhammad Ali might doubt too. That’s what I reciprocated.

“Ali, the strong man, is the only part you can see. You don’t see when he’s just Muhammad.”

Yesterday when enjoying a big and tasty Deluxe - probably the 8th wonder of the world I guess- I looked at my gay colleague who I was having a dinner with. He’s cool. I love that guy. He’s kind of queen, see? Some fragile and fancy guy you’d be afraid to leave in the jungle for a minute. He had just made me laugh, embarrassed for whistling for fun at a waiter who actually heard him, when it suddenly hit me. He was one of them. A Muhammad Ali. Sure he first appears as a shallow person, some sort of a gay cliché. Still, he's completely accepted himself and doesn’t care about what people could say. Though he probably doubts and hurts sometimes, he’s Ali when he needs to. That may be what real strength is.

So don't you please let the image blind you.