“I believe that we have a
God who takes care of all of us. But I also believe man can put obstacles in
the way of our faith and our future. Fate is always impacted by opportunities.
Without having the tools to walk through a door, even when that door is opened,
you will not have the opportunity to live life to its full potential. I grew up
on the west side of Chicago, the inner city. There was nothing about it that
hinted at where I would be today, working to feed people around the world. Some
might say it was my fate. I would say, yes, it was my fate, but it was also my
faith, my education, my parents—it was standing on the shoulders of individuals
who opened doors for me, people I knew and didn't know.”—Ertharin Cousin,
former executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme, in
“Soapbox: The Columnists—WSJ. Asks Six Luminaries to Weigh in on a Single
Topic; This Month: Fate,” WSJ. Magazine, October 2015
The image accompanying
this post, of Ambassador Cousin addressing volunteers at the Earth Day
Tri-Mission Community Project in Rome, Italy, was taken Apr. 17, 2010, by a
photographer for the U.S. State Department.
