2.

When Kofi Annan was elected Secretary-General, his very devout 88-year-old mother, Esi, said, “I give thanks to God for His Guidance.”

Later, when she spoke with her son, she offered her loving advice: “There is more before you, and you still have to depend on the Lord.”

The loving son thanked his mother for her wise advice and said, “Ma, thank you. But for you, I would not be what I am today.”

The mother is all concern and the son is all gratitude. The Secretary-General has assimilated his dearest mother’s advice inside the inmost recesses of his faith-filled heart. What is more, with his unalloyed humility-heart, he has given full credit for his world-transforming achievements to his beloved mother.

Many commentators have observed that the more serious the outer situation becomes, the more calm Kofi Annan becomes. Because of his dauntless faith in God, the Secretary-General faces countless catastrophes with measureless poise and offers the entire world a mountain of towering strength.

"The world is not ours to keep. We hold it in trust for future generations."

This prophetic utterance of our dearest Secretary-General must echo and re-echo in the heart of each human being on this earth planet.