Hey Global Grind!!!
Ok, so like most people, I kind of stared at the TV a lil weird when it said that Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize. My first thought was yeaah for President Obama because I rock with this guy and sleep a little better at night knowing that he is the leader of the Free World (no pun intended I swear!). My second wave of thoughts were Hmmm, he is definitely an agent for peace, he definitely represents a less arrogant America,one that believes allies are better than foes, and he definitely has made specific steps to let all world leaders know that he wants some unity going forward, but the Nobel Peace Prize already? he hasn’t even been president for a year. Isn’t that honor created for those that have dedicated their entire lives to creating and maintaining Peace around the world? So, I had to go check some fats to get some answers because surely the Nobel Peace Prize Commission didnt set out to make a mockery of the prize or this historic presidency…did they?
Here’s what I found:
The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 90 times to 120 Nobel Laureates between 1901 and 2009 – 97 times to individuals and 23 times to organizations. Some past re cipients include Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa, Desmond Tutu, The International Committee of the Red Cross;League of Red Cross societies and The United Nations childrens fund. When I look at the previous winners I have always associated achieveing this honor with struggle, sacrifice and unwavering faith in a mission and again a lifetime of work. Well I learned something when i read the rules for choosing the Nobel Peace Prize Winner and here’s what I read that I didn’t know:
On 27 November 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament, giving the largest share of his fortune to a series of prizes, the Nobel Prizes. As described in Nobel’s will, one part was dedicated to ‘the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses in the last year’.Each year the respective Nobel Committees send individual invitations to thousands of qualified mem bers of academies, university professors, scientists from numerous countries, previous Nobel Laureates, members of parliamentary assemblies and others, asking them to submit candidates for the Nobel Prizes for the coming year. No one can nominate him- or herself. To date, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize Laureate is Mairead Corrigan, who was 32 years old when she was awarded the Prize in 1976.
So as I watched all the tv news reports and read all the articles and editorials that questioned the nomination of the 44th president I realized something.
President Obama does deserve the Nobel Peace Prize (see italic/bold above for definition). What we aren’t used to is someone being ho nored for their achievements in a timely apprpriate manner, we also are trained to think they have to have sat in jail or marched against racist water hose spraying cops to win. Maybe just maybe the Nobel Peace Committee is more in tune than we know. See, if this is the definition of a Nobel Peace Prize Winner:‘the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses in the last year’? Then surely they have chosen the right man.
Oh 🙂 and oddly enough, I found a poem that I scribbled while watching the inauguration back in January and thought that I would share it with you…Enjoy! Have a blessed day.
Love, Free
