Modest Reflection on Greatness

Two quotations:

"I want everyone to bear witness, I am the greatest! I'm the greatest thing that ever lived. I don't have a mark on my face, and I upset Sonny Liston, and I just turned twenty-two years old. I must be the greatest. I showed the world. I talk to God everyday. I know the real God. I shook up the world; I'm the king of the world. You must listen to me. I am the greatest! I can't be beat!"

"Wouldn't it be a beautiful world if just 10 percent of the people who believe in the power of love would compete with one another to see who could do the most good for the most people?"

The two statements could hardly be more different. Yet, ironically, the same person who spoke them both: the legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali.

The first is Ali's boyish bluster from 1964, just after he defeated Sonny Liston for the first time. The second is something he wrote in his autobiography, The Soul of a Butterfly, in 2004.

Forty years separate the two quotations. Forty years of living. A lot can change in half a lifetime.

Another quotation by Ali explains it: "The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has just wasted the last 30 years of his life." Afflicted by Parkinson's disease since 1984 -- a condition likely brought on by the pummeling his body received in the ring -- Ali has been busy, until this year, as a global good-will ambassador, peace activist and advocate for the developing world. By one estimate, he has provided over 232 million meals to feed the hungry. He remains one of the most easily-recognized celebrities on the planet.

When I saw him early in his career, I must confess that I liked him. I do not know why. The bragging and cockiness that made him hated I found a way to excuse. Of course, I was in my early teens at the time. His career in boxing was the only time in my life I had any interest in boxing. He seemed unbeatable. Of course, when he was beat, I kept thinking during the boxing match that he would pull it out in the end. I guess I bought into the illusion he had created.

To his credit, Ali's idea of greatness appears to have changed over time.

Maybe we can expand the conversation on greatness.

History is full of men and women who are described as "the Great," although they all had their weaknesses and blind spots. Alexander the Great was the Macedonian king and general who took control of the vast Persian Empire in the 4th century B.C. Tutored by Aristotle, he went on to achieve an undefeated record in military battles. Yet, Alexander was not invincible -- he was probably brought down by a lowly mosquito. Evidence suggests that he died of malaria at age 32.

How about Catherine the Great? She was the empress who ruled Russia from 1762 to 1796. Her greatness arose from her desire to modernize and expand Russia's holdings, as well as her creation of the country's first school for girls. Nevertheless, Catherine was not as powerful as she thought. Her rise to domination came only after her lover led a coup to depose her husband.

Another mighty ruler was Ramses the Great, Egyptian pharaoh from 1279 to 1213 B.C., who built cities, temples and monuments. The Bible does not portray him as so righteous, however. He was likely the pharaoh who enslaved the Israelites and caused Moses to lead the exodus out of Egypt.

History teaches that greatness is often linked to a life of illusion, one that causes people to believe that they are more invincible, powerful and righteous than they really are. Alexander was vulnerable to a mosquito, Catherine owed her power to a coup, and Ramses was unrighteous. All were "the Great," but not the greatest.

Back in 2012, Homiletics Magazine humorously stated that the only one who avoids this trap is The Great Gazoo, Fred Flintstone's floating green alien buddy. Remember him? He created a doomsday device and made items appear out of thin air. He may not have lived a life of illusion, but he was an illusion -- a cartoon character voiced by the great comic actor Harvey Korman.

Whom would you add to the list of people in our culture who might consider themselves “great?” The problem with looking at yourself as “great” is that you live with an illusion. One illusion is concerns your view of you! You are vulnerable and weak in ways you might not want to admit. You may also not realize what true greatness is.