Cassius Clay, “The Louisville Lip”, transcended state and country to become Muhammad Ali, the greatest. For over half a century, Muhammad Ali’s confidence and courage brightened our vision for our own possibilities. What a mind he had to create those lively lyrics and direct those dancing feet. What a heart he had to refuse to be drafted as a soldier because he was a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, noting that he had nothing against the Viet Cong and that he had more to fight for in an America where blacks were not regarded as equals.

Commenting on his decision to change his name in the 60s after joining the Nation of Islam, he said: “Cassius Clay is a slave name. I didn’t choose it and I don’t want it. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name, and I insist people using it when speaking to me and of me.”

The world heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medallist was stripped of his title in 1967 and not allowed to fight for nearly four years, until his conviction was overturned by the US Supreme Court in 1971. During his absence from the ring, he earned a living from speaking engagements, stirring the conscience of young America and the world and challenging us to make the best of our lives.

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it,” he declared. “Impossible is not a fact, it’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration, it’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”

“Champions aren’t made in the gyms,” he said on returning to boxing in 1974 with his ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ in Zaire against George Foreman when he regained his titles. “Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”

He did not resile from the sacrifices required for championship: “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’ ”

To self-doubters, he said, “If they can make penicillin out of mouldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.”

In 1974, then Prime Minister Michael Manley invited Ali to Jamaica, where he was presented with the keys to the city by then Mayor Ralph Brown. I remember even my hard-to-impress cousin Lowell Smith lining up on the sidewalk in Cross Roads to catch a glimpse of The Greatest’s motorcade and reporting to us afterwards, “He was cool, man — just so cool!”

Muhammad Ali was beloved also for his poetic sense of humour. Here are some gems:

“I done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale, handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail; only last week I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalised a brick.

“I’m so mean I make medicine sick.

“If you even dream of beating me, you’d better wake up and apologise.”

“I am so fast that last night I turned off the light switch and was in bed before the room was dark.”

Muhammad Ali moved from Nation of Islam to Sunni Islam and then Islamic Sufism in 2005. He spoke out against racism: “Hating people because of their colour is wrong. And it doesn’t matter which colour does the hating. It’s just plain wrong.” He mellowed with age, embracing the passing years: “A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”

Muhammad Ali showed every celebrity how they could use their time in the sun to awake the best in others. In the words of President Barack Obama (no doubt, Ali inspired his courageous march to the White House), “Muhammad Ali shook up the world. And the world is better for it. We are all better for it.”

PROFESSOR ELDEMIRE SHEARER ON AGEING

Professor Denise Eldemire-Shearer delivered a sobering public lecture on older people at the official opening of the Medical Association of Jamaica’s annual symposium. As an advocate for the empowerment of seniors, it was encouraging for me to hear that the theme for the symposium was ‘Emerging issues impacting the health of older adults’.

There is no better person to speak on ageing than Professor Eldemire Shearer, who has dedicated the past three decades to the study, advocacy, and care of Jamaica’s elderly, and chairs the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons. She noted that Jamaica now has 305,000 people over the age of 60, and that the odds are that once you pass the age of 60, your life expectancy is 80-81 years.

She further noted that the over 80 age group is the fastest-growing sector of the population, exceeding the under-15! The economics of ageing in Jamaica is sobering: fully 60 per cent of our elderly have no pension, while they require more health care. In one year, 55,200 seniors were hospitalised in Jamaica, totalling 386,342 hospital days at a cost of $966 million. Our seniors filled 175,000 prescriptions totalling $3.3 billion.

The rapid rise of non-communicable diseases between 1989 and 2012 is disturbing: 157 per cent increase in diabetes, 137 per cent increase in glaucoma, and 117 per cent in cancer. Thirty per cent of seniors suffer from high blood pressure, but over 70 per cent of these individuals do not control the condition well.

No wonder then that Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, in his remarks, said his ministry would be placing greater emphasis on preventative measures. He pointed out that increased activity could reduce the risk of serious illnesses — 13 per cent decrease for breast cancer, 18 per cent decrease for colon cancer, eight per cent decrease for heart disease, and 10 per cent decrease for diabetes. The minister said that poverty in old age is a serious issue in Jamaica, noting that, “People are thinking about their well-being in old age, when it is too late,” and urged early retirement planning.

Professor Eldemire Shearer called on us to empower older people to research and ask questions about their health. She said that Jamaica Assistance for Drugs for Elderly Persons and National Health Fund were underutilised, yet they offer considerable savings for people suffering from chronic conditions. She also urged a safer home environment for the elderly as there are too many serious injuries from falls. Please heed her life-saving and cost-saving advice.

lowriechin@aim.com

www.lowrie-chin.blogspot.com