As Arnie’s ashes were being spread at the Pennsylvania golf course where he grew up, a rainbow appeared in the sky (above). To me, it was a promise from the Heavens, an assurance that decency will triumph over villainy after all.
For Arnold Palmer was not just a great golfer. He was also a decent human being.
And I find it encouraging that Arnie was one of the most admired men to grace this planet.
He was also one of the most admirable. He treated all with respect. He was modest and unassuming despite his great fame and enormous wealth. He took care to obey society’s rules of the road.
At the Ryder Cup this morning, thousands are wearing “Arnie’s Army” buttons, and the competing US golfers display his favorite lapel pin on their collars. While I was watching the event on TV, the massive Ryder Cup crowd chanted his name in unison.
It is this vast reservoir not just of admiration but of love that gives the rainbow its message of hope. A message Americans – and the world – desperately need at this time.
For Arnie presents a stark contrast to wretches like Donald Trump, who incite hatred and spite, who game the system relentlessly, who lie and cheat and wallow in the mud.
He presents a contrast to people who think it’s smart to chisel on their taxes, welch on their commitments, sneer at decency and treat others with contempt and ridicule.
When I see the crowds on TV cheering Trump, obviously enamored of his vile message, I am tempted to despair.
Trump is not the first of his monstrous breed. Throughout history, the Evil One has risen in various incarnations to exalt all that is base in mankind. And he probably will not be the last.
How can such despicable creatures inspire such veneration, such love? Is this what we humans are like, after all?
But then I remember Arnie and the great love he inspired. And I see a rainbow in the sky.
