Advent, day 12

Today is Nobel dagen (The day of Nobel) in Sweden. It's a great part of living in Stockholm with round the clock TV coverage, including long, boring scenes of the dinner, but it's fun to see the tables and what people are wearing and imagine that someday you will get to go. Ha. A man who used to sit on the committee that chose the Physics prize winner used to live upstairs from us. When we inquired about how one gets to go to the ceremony and the dinner, he dryly replied, "Win the prize." So far, no Nobel in theology exists so my chances are looking slim, but I have enjoyed learning more about the Nobel prizes while living here in Stockholm. For the record, the Nobel prizes that are awarded in Stockholm are for Chemistry, Physics, Economics (first female winner ever this year, yea!), Literature and Medicine. Oslo, Norway holds the ceremony for the Peace prize which as you all know was won by US President Barack Obama. There has been much controversy over his winning this award and of course, the timing of the prize just a few days after he revealed that he will send more troops into Afghanistan is challenging, to say the least. I'm not thrilled with his decision on the Afghan war but what good decision exists in that situation? I felt that under difficult circumstances, President Obama gave a good speech. He was honest, it had integrity, it admitted to the complexities of his choices given his ultimate responsibility to protect the United States. He was humble and articulate and tried to reason out why war is a necessary evil on the road to peace even though he also made clear that it is a regrettable road. He also acknowledged the many people who work for peace under great duress blocked from the world's attention who were deserving of the prize as well. I appreciated what he had to say and it was thrilling to come home for lunch and watch it live from Oslo.
So today I've been thinking about peace and how each one of us can make the world a more peaceful place. I believe that Jesus ultimately came into this world to bring peace. Sadly, religious conflicts have been the source of much blood shed through the years. But I do think Christianity at its core strives for peace among peoples promoting acceptance, unconditional love, being saved by grace and yes, even loving ones enemies. So perhaps we cannot solve the problems of the world's great conflicts, but we can strive to be a peace-promoting and peace-loving person in the places that we do touch.
For me, Nobel dagen has provided a day each December 10th when people are honored for contributions that reach far and wide. It is thrilling to come into some small contact with these giants of their fields who in their own way are seeking to make the world a better place. Even though no diploma, no gold medal, no huge sum of money await me...and while dinner with the King and Queen will have to wait for another time, I do want to be a person who seeks to make the world a better place in my own way, touching in a positive manner those people whose lives I can influence.

President Obama and the Nobel Peace Prize

Wow. Intense feelings have arisen among the American crowd in response to President's Obama winning the peace prize. Why did the committee choose him?

Because of his...
"Extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples"

"Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," the committee said. His diplomacy is founded on the concept that those who lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitude that are shared by the majority of the world's population. The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited the president's creation of a "new climate in international politics" and his work on nuclear disarmament.

But oh are people mad. I find the pushback on this one interesting. On my Facebook, I wrote, "President Obama wins the Peace Prize. My only disappointment is that it's awarded in Oslo, Norway and not in Stockholm like the rest of them." It created a stormy comment thread that mainly expressed disdain for his receiving it. Now, I'm not saying that Obama is deserving of the prize at this juncture in his life, but I am at least willing to consider why they have chosen him. I believe the world is hungry for a more cooperative style of interaction and yearning for civil discourse. Some of my readers may disagree with me, but during the Bush Administration's season, these were two things that were sorely lacking in America's leadership. The fact that Bush took us into two wars that few in the world supported, that have become an absolute quagmire remains a bitter pill to swallow. So in awarding Obama, the committee is at least in part saying, "This is the type of leader that can create a more peaceful world." Perhaps it would've been more prudent to wait a few years to actually award Obama with the prize, but even so, the lack of respect and honor shown to Obama in light of his winning the prize is staggering. It almost seems like people are angry at Obama. He didn't run for the prize. He was chosen. A humble congratulations is in order even if you disagree with the outcome. Isn't that part of what it means to practice civility?

After pondering my own thoughts and the many thoughts and reactions flying around Facebook, my sister-in-law posted the following comment. "Wowza! I am thrilled that our President was awarded the Nobel Peace prize. For the most powerful person in the free world to address the world about nuclear disarmament, embrace Muslims as fellow human beings on the journey with us rather than our enemies and work to level the playing field of economic disparity rampant in our country, I say "You gObama!" I realize he is a mere mortal but in my opinion an extraordinary man working for peace and justice in the world. I can't really come up with causes more noble than the ones this Nobel prize winner is working for!" This comment makes sense to me. I realize that many of my right leaning friends are crying foul because they wonder what he's done to deserve such an award. What do they expect that he could've done in the past 9 months? At least he's changed the rhetoric and the perception of who America is in the world. To my friends living in America, perhaps you don't fully understand how bad our reputation had gotten overseas. Yes, Obama needs to deliver but at least he's seeking a much more cooperative tone as he seeks to deal with a fractured world.

Obama had the grace to say that he's accepting the award as a mandate to be a leader who pursues peace. The mess in Afghanistan will certainly test his mettle. But perhaps this prize will serve as a clear reminder to one of the most powerful leaders in the world that the pursuit of peace is a noble one and one that should be pursued with rigor and assertiveness.

I don't know for sure that Obama is the best candidate for the peace prize this year. But I know for sure that the anger and absolute lack of respect being shown to the President at this juncture does not promote a more peaceful society. I hope we can figure out a way to pursue peace, engage in civil discourse and more respectfully disagree with one another. Otherwise, we will never see the peace that our world sorely needs.