By HRH King Appolus Chu

I am cognizant of how nature works and how life goes. I can be wealthy today and God can also make me to be nothing tomorrow. I can be rich today, but God can make me to become a beggar tomorrow. In as much as I wish to remain prosperous or fortunate in life, I recognize the fact that the possibility of such negative reversals of fortune happening is there, and it is high.
My wish is not the wish of God.

Therefore, as long as I am alive, I pray for the grace and strength to respect nature: human beings in particular, and other creatures (animals, plants, the Sun, rain as well as all the other elements of nature). I also take cognizance of my loyalty to God. I believe that my respect for people and nature draws me closer to God. Indeed, my closeness to God can be measured and determined by how much respect I have for nature and her creations.

I don’t want to fool myself into being carried away by whatever material wealth I have today or to see myself superior to others because of whatever blessing God has given to me, whether wealth or power or influence. Those things were given to me by God in trust for the betterment of humanity and nature.

I know that there will come a day when sickness can knock me down, death will come my way and so many other mysteries and uncertainties of life could come my way and sweep away that happiness and comfort of wealth, power and influence I have today. I do not lose sight of the fact that I can lose everything I have in just a single day: be it children, possessions or anything else. If I live more years in life, it is just by the grace and mercy of God. If I do not beg food from people tomorrow, it’s just because God has given me the grace, mercy and strength to continue sustaining the glory of the wealth He has given me today. It is in the power and discretion of God to do anything He wants in my life and with me.

With all these in mind, I humble myself to humanity: to the poorest person on the earth as well as the richest person. I humble myself to God, and recognize that the only way I can give glory to God is by appreciating all His handiwork, his mysteries surrounding me and the environment where He has put me.

One thing I work towards and for which I pray for the grace of God to actualize, is to do those things that please nature so that I am able to stand before my conscience without any feelings of guilt in all my dealings with my fellow man and nature. If God would give me that grace that would be a life of fulfilment to me, because I know that judgment starts from my own conscience. And if I can stand before my own conscience with my two shoulders raised high, then I know that I have conquered nature. With that I can reckon myself to be among the most successful and wealthiest people in life, because the wealthiest people are those who are successful in the spirit and feel no guilt in their conscience, in the journey of life.

There are people who cannot stand before their conscience, because the conscience holds the database of every human activity in life; and their conscience daily accuses and finds them guilty of all the things they do against humanity and nature.

If I can stand before myself without feeling guilty in my own conscience for anything, then I can say with boldness and confidence that I have made it and am successful in the journey of life. But if I am guilty before my own conscience, then I know that I have failed in the journey of life, no matter how much men may celebrate me.

The person who is able to stand tall before his own conscience can rightly be called a fulfilled person before God and nature.

HRH King Appolus Chu, is the Egbere Emere Okori and Oneh Eh Nchia X of Eleme Kingdom