I have been meaning to write about this for a few days. So let me quickly make my point(s).
First, yes even I was shocked by the news. I thought I was reading the Onion. I agree he doesn't deserve it, its too soon, what has he done so far? But the Nobel Prize Committee has faltered before and will continue to do so.
Second, winning the Nobel puts Obama under more pressure, much more than he already is submerged under. He is cleaning up a mess, agreed, but now he is pressured not only to clean up the mess without making a new one, but also to look beyond just cleaning up. He now knows that in order to live upto his name and fame, he really does need to make a difference. His opponents of course scrutinize every move he makes and every word he says, but now his supporters are also watching, intently.
Third, a lot of comments (of the supposedly humorous kind) were circulating on the Internet pointing out that now getting a Nobel was so easy.
Example: What is the difference between a Google Wave Invite and a Nobel Peace Prize? Answer: Getting a Google Wave Invite is difficult.
Yep, funny I know. But also incorrect.
Obama winning the Nobel over ordinary people- who stood up against dictatorships, protested in Iran, fought for Burma's democracy, spoke and worked against human rights abuses all over the world, worked with refugees and victims of climatic catastrophes, went into Gaza during the Israeli offensive with aid and relief, or simply have spent every single day of their life helping others live better-; simply shows that praise, help, acknowledgment and acclaims such as the Nobel for the ordinary you and I- who might do actual things making a difference in small but real ways- is hard to come by. Whereas if you are the President of the United States, just plans and words of a better future are deemed enough to honor you with the greatest honor in the field that there is.
Put simply, Obama winning the Nobel just shows how much harder it is for the ordinary man, working for peace and a better life for those around him, to be recognized in a World full of flowery diplomacy and powerful figures.
First, yes even I was shocked by the news. I thought I was reading the Onion. I agree he doesn't deserve it, its too soon, what has he done so far? But the Nobel Prize Committee has faltered before and will continue to do so.
Second, winning the Nobel puts Obama under more pressure, much more than he already is submerged under. He is cleaning up a mess, agreed, but now he is pressured not only to clean up the mess without making a new one, but also to look beyond just cleaning up. He now knows that in order to live upto his name and fame, he really does need to make a difference. His opponents of course scrutinize every move he makes and every word he says, but now his supporters are also watching, intently.
Third, a lot of comments (of the supposedly humorous kind) were circulating on the Internet pointing out that now getting a Nobel was so easy.
Example: What is the difference between a Google Wave Invite and a Nobel Peace Prize? Answer: Getting a Google Wave Invite is difficult.
Yep, funny I know. But also incorrect.
Obama winning the Nobel over ordinary people- who stood up against dictatorships, protested in Iran, fought for Burma's democracy, spoke and worked against human rights abuses all over the world, worked with refugees and victims of climatic catastrophes, went into Gaza during the Israeli offensive with aid and relief, or simply have spent every single day of their life helping others live better-; simply shows that praise, help, acknowledgment and acclaims such as the Nobel for the ordinary you and I- who might do actual things making a difference in small but real ways- is hard to come by. Whereas if you are the President of the United States, just plans and words of a better future are deemed enough to honor you with the greatest honor in the field that there is.
Put simply, Obama winning the Nobel just shows how much harder it is for the ordinary man, working for peace and a better life for those around him, to be recognized in a World full of flowery diplomacy and powerful figures.
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