THE GREASY POLE OF POWER

P.O Box 1540, Albany Western Australia 6331
Phone/Fax: (08) 98 418 418
E-mail: abl-alb@omninet.net.au

THE GREASY POLE OF POWER
Friend, I’m sure you’ve heard about Muhammed Ali. He was the unprecedented three-time world heavyweight boxing champion. His face has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated more times than any other athlete. When he was “floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee,” he was king of his profession. An entourage of reporters, trainers, and staff tailed this comet as he raced around the world. But that was yesterday. Where is Muhammed Ali today? Sportswriter Gary Smith went to find out. Ali escorted Smith to a barn next to his farmhouse. On the floor, leaning against the walls, were mementos of Ali in his prime. Photos and portraits of the champ punching and dancing. Sculpted body. Fist punching the air. Championship belt held high in triumph. “The thrilla in Manila.” But on the pictures were white streaks-bird droppings. Ali looked into the rafters at the pigeons who had made his gym their home. And then he did something significant. Perhaps it was a gesture of closure. Maybe it was a statement of despair. Whatever the reason, he walked over to the row of pictures and turned them, one by one, toward the wall. He then walked to the door, stared at the countryside, and mumbled something so low that Gary Smith had to ask him to repeat it. Ali did. “I had the world,” he said, “and it wasn’t nothin’. Look now.” Friend, when you think about Muhammed Ali’s circumstances, it’s obvious the pole of power is greasy! The Roman emperor Charlemagne knew that. An interesting story surrounds the burial of this famous king. Legend has it that he asked to be entombed sitting upright on his throne. He asked that his crown be placed on his head and his sceptre in his hand. He requested that the royal cape be draped around his shoulders and an open book be placed in his lap. That was A.D. 814. Nearly two hundred years later, Emperor Othello determined to see if the burial request had been carried out. He allegedly sent a team of men to open the tomb and make a report. They found the body just as Charlemagne had requested. Only now, nearly two centuries later, the scene was gruesome. The crown was tilted, the mantle moth-eaten, the body disfigured. But open on the skeletal thighs was the book Charlemagne had requested-the Bible. One bony finger pointed to Matthew 16:26, which states: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” Friend, I’ll leave you to answer that question. However, if you would like some help, I’d be pleased to send you a FREE pamphlet titled “You Can’t Be Human Alone.” To receive your personal copy, Email me or write to me at P.O Box 1540, Albany W.A 6331. Telephone / Fax (08) 98 418 418

Friend, I’m sure you’ve heard about Muhammed Ali. He was the unprecedented three-time world heavyweight boxing champion. His face has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated more times than any other athlete. When he was “floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee,” he was king of his profession. An entourage of reporters, trainers, and staff tailed this comet as he raced around the world.

But that was yesterday. Where is Muhammed Ali today? Sportswriter Gary Smith went to find out.

Ali escorted Smith to a barn next to his farmhouse. On the floor, leaning against the walls, were mementos of Ali in his prime. Photos and portraits of the champ punching and dancing. Sculpted body. Fist punching the air. Championship belt held high in triumph. “The thrilla in Manila.”

But on the pictures were white streaks-bird droppings. Ali looked into the rafters at the pigeons who had made his gym their home. And then he did something significant. Perhaps it was a gesture of closure. Maybe it was a statement of despair. Whatever the reason, he walked over to the row of pictures and turned them, one by one, toward the wall. He then walked to the door, stared at the countryside, and mumbled something so low that Gary Smith had to ask him to repeat it. Ali did.

“I had the world,” he said, “and it wasn’t nothin’. Look now.”

Friend, when you think about Muhammed Ali’s circumstances, it’s obvious the pole of power is greasy!

The Roman emperor Charlemagne knew that. An interesting story surrounds the burial of this famous king. Legend has it that he asked to be entombed sitting upright on his throne. He asked that his crown be placed on his head and his sceptre in his hand. He requested that the royal cape be draped around his shoulders and an open book be placed in his lap.

That was A.D. 814. Nearly two hundred years later, Emperor Othello determined to see if the burial request had been carried out. He allegedly sent a team of men to open the tomb and make a report. They found the body just as Charlemagne had requested. Only now, nearly two centuries later, the scene was gruesome. The crown was tilted, the mantle moth-eaten, the body disfigured. But open on the skeletal thighs was the book Charlemagne had requested-the Bible. One bony finger pointed to Matthew 16:26, which states: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?”

Friend, I’ll leave you to answer that question. However, if you would like some help, I’d be pleased to send you a FREE pamphlet titled “You Can’t Be Human Alone.” To receive your personal copy,

Email me
or write to me at
P.O Box 1540,
Albany W.A 6331.

Telephone / Fax (08) 98 418 418