Personal Perspective of Dr. Chuma G. Osuji, Founder

A Personal Perspective from President/CEO (Founder)
Being content in ourselves is a personal commitment. It is an attitude which separates excellence from mediocrity.
My family is primarily health conscious people. My greatest source of inspiration for the creation of African Ambassadors has been my parents, whose relentless efforts, great perseverance and understanding, has dedicated their lives to the underprivileged. All my life, just like my parents, I have continuously maintained a dedicated and diligent attitude towards everything I do. My job at the hospital: My relationships with my fellow members of the African Ambassadors. Self-discipline is another great asset that I have learned from my parents. I have been able to resist distractions and I like to work. I do not believe that native intelligence or a charming personality can compensate for mental laziness, sloppy work habits, superficial knowledge, negligence, or disorganization. Most important, is the self confidence that I have within myself. I have the strongest faith in my own ability to become a good servant to the community with absolute love, respect, kindness, and mercy.
I am a patient, understanding and compassionate man, a good listener, and possess a good healthy sense of humor. I have great compassion in the sense that I can honestly deal with all kinds of personalities without becoming impatient. I have a great liking for people and am very warm hearted. I am open-minded, especially to suggestions, and I am always ready to consider new theories, to admit mistakes and be patient enough to evaluate differences in opinions. I have high ethical standards, which I often use to inspire the people around me. My equanimity and ability to deal with people are great from the standpoint that my outward personality is a manifestation tempered by a quiet firmness.
I strongly believe that people who love their work can perform apparent miracles, sometimes against great odds, achieve success and personal happiness. Pablo Casals said it best, "The capacity to care is the most important thing which gives life its deepest significance", hence the creation of African Ambassadors.
My faith in humanity has not been wrecked, although I am disappointed with the present conditions of the underprivileged in our community. However, life is too precious, so much so, that I cannot allow this situation to embitter me and change my absolute goal in life, which is to make life better than how I found it.
African Ambassadors is meant to serve as a helpful and meaningful way for all sincere and considerate, good people of all races to help each other. I am hopeful and optimistic that the essence of African Ambassadors at some point in life can actually satisfactorily and categorically make it clear that we must be beyond freedom, equality and welfare - simply because we want to rule our destiny. If so, then I suppose I may say I have without any doubt, to some extent, succeeded.
With respect to success among members of our community, I am of the opinion that many people seem to think that success in one area can compensate for failure in others; but, can it really? Perhaps it can for a limited time. But can one's professional success compensate for a broken marriage, ruined health, a weakness of personal character with respect to dignity, integrity, and one's spirit as a human being? Make no mistakes about this, true effectiveness and happiness with respect to well accomplished successful life definitely requires some level of balance.
There was once a wise, old professor and an eager young student. One day, the student, who held his professor in awe said, "Professor, where did you acquire such wise judgment"? The kind old man lowered his head gently and with a wisp of smile, he said, "Bad judgment, my son". Therefore, African Ambassadors' members are all collectively trying to take fully and completely what we have been given in the wisdom of our years of experiences in life and out of the goodness of our hearts, it is our sincere hope that our lessons, unlike our forefathers, will be somehow less painful.
In some attempts, it is glorious even to fail. There can be no failure to a man who has not lost his courage, his character, his self-esteem, respect or self, confidence, integrity or spirit. He is still a king. No guts, no glory.
Everything was sad and dismal when I came to this country. It was almost the essence of despair. If you could have squeezed the feeling out of the word "despair", it would have come out bleak, dull, dingy, dirty, and colored gray. It was like living in a cement box with filthy floors, infested with rats, cock roaches and spiders. Except for the closeness I felt to God: There were no friends to kiss and hug, no children to hold, and no hands to shake. This entire experience gave me the opportunity to reflect and appreciate the essence of the creation of African Ambassadors.
Not only did I spend much time reliving the significant events of my life, but I also began to relinquish some of the insignificant factors in my live to channel my energy to things of much more importance. The perspective of being in a foreign country has given me unique insights to the past and present. Hopefully this will also contribute to the future of African Ambassadors success.
Forgive my idealism. Believe me, it has been tested. It is not superficial. I am glad to be an American naturalized citizen. With all its pain, scars, and imperfections America to me and forever will always be a place of hope for the underprivileged. God Bless America.
African Ambassadors definitely have a great future ahead of us in this country. We would like to continue to have a significant role in supporting members of our community who are underprivileged, with respect to medical, legal, and social support services. The late President John F. Kennedy said it best, "Ask not what your country will do for you, ask what you can do for your country".
Special thanks are due to many people whose lives, experiences have shaped my life and indirectly assisted me in becoming confident and optimistic about the future of African Ambassadors.
Someone asked me once why I was doing this. My honest answer is that I believe that today's youth and especially the disadvantaged members of our community are strongly searching for a dragon to slay. I want to help them find the right dragon. I want our young people learn to become proud of the things that really count in life, and that is to be a good person.
As an African Ambassador, I would like to demonstrate that the and the bravest among us should always rely on their faith in God, the American way of life - perseverance, patience, hard work, and justice for all.
I hope to show that faith and goodness has been tried by fire, and has never failed. Don't be ashamed of your sense of goodness or of your wonderful heritage, no matter where you came from. It is important for us to be proud of those things which made America great and which can with our help be even greater by our ceaseless desire to continue to be good with love, respect, kindness, and mercy.
It is my sincere hope through God Almighty, that African Ambassadors may continue to be used as instruments of goodness with the following strong, striking, and positive ways:

• Where there is hatred, let us show love
• Where there is injury, let us pardon
• Where there is doubt, let us show faith
• Where there is despair, let us show hope
• Where there is darkness, let us show light
• Where there is sadness, let us show joy

Having said all of this, let me make this unequivocally clear, I strongly believe that it is better for us not desire to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving out of the sincere goodness of our heart that we receive. In is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying, even for those things that are not popular that we are blessed in life.
To those who support African Ambassadors:

• If you think you are beaten; you are
• If you think you dare not; you don't
• If you would like to win but think you can't; its almost a cinch, you won't
• If you think you will lose; you are lost.

For out of the world we find success begins with a man's will. It is all in the state of mind.

• If you think you are out classed; you are. You have got to think high to rise. You have got to be sure of yourself before you can ever win the prize.
• Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.

The late President Abraham Lincoln said it best, "I do the best I know how, the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing it until the end of my life - if the end brings me out all right, what is said (and done against me - principles and values) will not amount to anything. If the end brings me out all wrong, ten thousand angels swearing I was right would make no difference". Hence, the essence of our persistence and optimism as African Ambassadors.
"The truth is that the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust, sweat, and blood; who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who undoubtedly knows great enthusiasm, great devotion and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat". The inspiring words of Theodore Roosevelt.
Per Calving Coolidge, "Nothing my friends, can ever in the world take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men and women. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent".
Without a doubt, life is too short not to feel loved, respected, and deserve kindness and mercy. We may never see tomorrow; there are no written guarantees, and things that happened yesterday belong to history. We definitely cannot predict the future, and certainly cannot change the past. We have just the present moment and we must treat it as our last and best.
We must use the moment wisely, for it soon will pass away and be lost to us forever as part of yesterday. We must exercise compassion engraved with absolute love, respect, kindness, and mercy in order to help the fallen to their feet. Be a friend to the friendless. Make an empty life complete.
The truth is that all the unkind things we are responsible for may never be undone; and friendships that unfortunately and suddenly became unattainable or failed to win, may never in life be regained.
We may not even have a chance on our bent knees to pray; in order to thank the Lord with humble hearts for giving us this day.
Remain blessed with love, respect, kindness, and mercy.