It’s been announced that President Barack Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, and the news has stunned the world. Some of his more vocal critics are claiming that it’s too soon; that this early in his presidency he hasn’t had time to implement many of the worldwide changes he wishes to pursue. Among these are to reconcile the United States with the Muslim community as embodied by Middle Eastern countries, promoting unilateralism in the U.S. itself and a general call for unity and an end to partisan divisiveness.
Obama himself claims surprise on his win, saying “I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many transformative figures that have been honored by this prize.” (He also simply tweeted the word “Humbled.”) However, those making the decision to honor the president in this way disagree. Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said “He got the prize because he has been able to change the international climate.” And if it were just that, his worthiness could still be argued.
However, as parents, we know that sometimes the difference between success and failure is simply a matter of encouragement. You can’t force people to do something, but you can try to guide their thinking so that they make their own decision to make the change. As an example, we got our son a new set of flippers, goggles, and a snorkel to encourage him to keep at his swimming lessons, which made him really excited to get back into it. And it seems to have worked; now he regards jumping into the water as an adventure, rather than a chore.
Adults are not immune to this type of strategy. Obama himself does this in every one of his speeches, by holding in front of us the promise of a better life if we only work for it. In a way, then, this Nobel Prize is the global community’s effort at telling the rest of us that they believe in the vision Obama espouses, whether or not any of it has come to fruition. His commitment is without question, but he needs the rest of us to commit as well. Other countries have thrown in support of our president based on nothing more than his stated willingness to embrace change — and that’s a powerful message. If the rest of the world thinks he can turn it around, then we Americans should be of a similar mind. Just as my partner and I are always telling our son: “We don’t care if you win or lose; we want you to try.” Obama’s Peace Prize win is a message to all of us that he’s on the right track, and now it’s up to all of us to try.
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