The Champ and the Chump

On a day our nation mourned the loss of the Greatest, we must stop and question the unholy alliance of many in our midst with another, much lesser being, who considers himself worthy of that title.

Could there be more stunning contrast in the poetry of their words and of their lives? 

One who fought 15 rounds for the elevation of humanity while the other, with every misspoken sentiment, every intended indictment, every attack and each denunciation brings shame to himself and to those who hold him in high esteem.

One looked unblinkingly into the face of ugliness and extracted beauty, the other creating a cesspool of hatred and division. 

One whose very being emanated principles, whose foundation was as strong and powerful as any punch he ever threw, the other lacking a core, whose weakness was evident in each tortured phrase, each roundhouse thrown in the diminished parlance he had mastered.

One who viewed himself as a vessel for others, the other perceiving humanity as a vessel for him.

One who cared about us, the other who couldn't have cared less about anyone but himself. 

One who sought to embrace each of us, but especially those who had been knocked down, the other who wished to repel and expel, to exclude and reject, to push away and put down.

One who made us bigger while the other made everything and everyone he touched smaller. 

One who walked equally with kings and with the least among us, the other who should have walked alone so as not to taint us with his disease.

One who truly deserved his title and was the people's champ. The other nothing but a chump.