"Sometimes a Great Notion." - K. Kesey

I have always been fascinated by Boxing. It is a brutal sport, not so kind to the participants, that seems to be a microcosm of those willing to risk it all for a little measure of glory. In my book, (if I had a book) there are two great Boxing Movies: "Raging Bull," and "The Champion." Both are downers where the main protagonist is a guy who burns all bridges on the way to the top, and once he gets there, he finds it very lonely indeed. I also have to throw in a great documentary: "When We Were Kings," a powerful film about the Ali vs. Foreman fight in Zaire in the 1980's. It's a thrilling movie that shows the impact Muhammad Ali had on millions of people around the world.

My favorite books on the subject? David Remnick's "King of the World," about Ali. "The Devil and Sonny Liston," (about the the mystery and enigma of a man) by one of the greatest writers alive today, Nick Tosches. And also, "Redemption Song," by Mike Marqusee, about Ali's politics and religion. (It has great insights on Malcolm X's influence on The Champ.)

Boxing is on my mind this morning because I came across this quote in the latest New Yorker (in an article by Remnick) about Mike Tyson's latest (maybe last) humiliation. Tyson actually echoes a famous Shakespearean soliloquy (is it in Hamlet?) and I thought, wisdom comes from many quarters. The quote: "I'm a peasant. At one point, I thought life was about aquiring things. Life is totally about losing everything." This also resonates with that Buddhist notion of non-attachment to the things of this world. Or as the Belfast Cowboy, Van (the Man) Morrison reminds us: "Sometimes we live, sometimes we die, sometimes we cry, sometimes we fly."