What is the measure of the greatness of a person?
Another great person died on February 4, 2005 (See Stories have the potential to break up life into little digestible pieces: a tribute to Ozzie Davis the February 4, 2004 entry.)
In the 1930's, Max Schmeling was a German boxer who was the first person to beat the famed fighter Joe Louis. The Nazis held up his victory as an example of Aryan superiority. In 1938, just before World War II, in a much hyped rematch in New York City, Joe Louis beat Schmeling in a resounding first round knock out.
Now the rest of the story, later Schmeling said that he was almost happy he lost, he wanted nothing to do with the Nazis. As it turned out, before the war, Schmeling secretly helped save Jews from persecution. At great personal risk, he hid two Jewish brothers in his hotel suite and later helped them flee to America. He never himself revealed this. It was uncovered when one of the brothers, Henry Lewin, who became a successful hotel owner, thanked Schmeling for saving his and his brother's life. Despite high level pressure, he also he refused to stop associating with German Jews or to fire his American Jewish manager, Joe Jacobs. During the '36 Olympics Max Schmeling exacted a promise from Hitler that all U.S. athletes would be protected.
Schmeling went on to become a successful businessman. Later he financially helped Joe Louis and ultimately paid for Joe Louis' funeral.
A synopsis of his life can be seen on the web at: http://www.auschwitz.dk/schmeling.htm
Things to consider:
- Be careful how you judge someone with full knowledge and understanding of their situation; and we can never have full knowledge and understanding of someone else.
- Things are not always as they seem.
- A fierce body can have a gentle soul and a giving heart.
- Courage comes in many forms.
- The world is full of unsung heroes; and unsung acts of heroism.
- Race (RhbNote: an illusion) is not the measure of any person; and it is faulty logic to generalize the success, failure or attributes of one individual to a group.
- That Joe Louis, a Black American, and so many others, died poor and Max Schmeling was financially successful says something about the effect of discrimination on human potential.
- But the greatest lesson of all, can be summed up in Max Schmeling's own words below:
"I don't want anyone to say I was a good athlete, but worth nothing as a human being." Max Schmeling (1905-2005)
Rest In Peace Max Schmeling; I salute you.
Rhb
3:34:19 PM 
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