He is a smart, hard-working, forward-thinking, outside-the-box guy performing what many see as a thankless job facing criticism from every direction, even those who agree with him. He has done what some thought could never have been done, what some still think shouldn’t have been done. He has accomplished much, while at least appearing to maintain his calm cool demeanor, still sticking to the subject at hand, able to debate policy choices on several fronts almost simultaneously. I agree with most of his ideas, I am impressed with his style of speaking, I like his wife, his daughters are cute.
And, I have to say, when I woke up early Friday morning to receive the news that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize, my first thought (yes, I will admit this) was a rousing, “Na na na na boo boo.”
I was tickled that the man had received yet another acknowledgement of his abilities, another kudos from the world for what he has accomplished, another jewel in his crown. Surely this, the Nobel Prize, proved that he was all he was cracked up to be, after all, it was chosen by some really smart, philosophical people.
Isn’t it? I wasn’t, and still am not, sure who they were, but I knew they had to be some intellectuals somewhere comprising a ‘think tank’, debating all kinds of important issues and ideas, saying things that would be so over the heads of people like me and you that they may as well be speaking Martian. These obviously must be really brilliant people who know many things I don’t, and from a perspective of the global community and with knowledge of everything there is to know they make these decisions.
Some deep dudes.
And if they chose to give this award to Obama, surely that then in turn confirms my choice for president, for leader of the free world. If they gave him the Nobel Prize, then obviously, it was proven once again, I, Julia Roberts Goad, was RIGHT.
Right?
Not so fast, maybe. It was pointed out — by op-ed pieces, by people everywhere I went, by children and old people and those who are smart and not-so-smart, by people who have the same politics as me as well as those who do not, by at least half of the people who I talked to about it — for what?
And I said . . . for . . . for his policies! That’s what!
Except he really hasn’t had time yet to put those policies into place, much less for them to have produced results.
Well, then, he won the award for . . . working toward progress! That’s what!
Except working toward progress isn’t really making progress, it’s just working towards it, in the general direction, which is good, but not really the same thing.
OK, then Obama won the award for . . . hope! That’s what!
He has inspired thousands, millions, to hope, to think that maybe the country, maybe the world, is not doomed to suffer for the bad choices of those who have gone before us. We can hope that, with hard work, we can change direction, we can hope to make ourselves, the world, better.
Except hoping for good things, pointing out good things are possible, isn’t really bringing these things about, its just pointing toward these good things.
So I thought and pondered, discussed and debated, listened and listened and listened. With an open mind (which I sometimes have a problem with). But I purposely did not listen to pundits and editorials, did not pay much attention to blogs and columns and the usual news outlets I usually read when trying to figure out a particular issue. Didn’t let the ‘experts’ weigh in on this one. I listen, instead, to common sense from regular people. And I realized these people had a legitimate question.
He won, but for what?
Working to slow countries’ near break neck race toward a world in which anyone can possess and manufacture nuclear weapons? That’s cool and all, but don’t leaders around the world do that everyday? He has strengthened diplomacy, the committee said, and cooperation between people. Diplomats do this for a living, it’s their forte. President Obama has several diplomats working for him, should all of them been considered for the Nobel Peace Prize?
Its not the Nobel Potential Award.
Of course, it comes with a lot of perks, not the least of which is the attention it can bring to the very issues the recipient is working with, the attention it can bring to the recipient themselves, the media frenzy, the ‘buzz’, as well as $1.4 million.
To make the most of the award, to capitalize on and exploit the prize and the accompanying baggage, Obama could have ‘respectfully declined’, someone suggested. Donate the money to a worthy cause, and tell the committee he would come back for the Peace Prize when he had actually made peace.
Another good idea I didn’t come up with.
So now, there is the point that, while President Obama is a great guy, maybe he doesn’t deserve everything, all the time. There is the thought that maybe he could use this opportunity to make a point that we should recognize the results of our labors, not just the labor itself. Neither of those ideas were mine.
Gasp! The first thought I had was not proven — in no uncertain terms, with no ambiguity — to be right. I am having a hard time with this concept. Come to find out, other people have opinions that merit consideration which are different than mine. And (here is the real kicker) I have changed my mind as a result of having listened to these opposing opinions.
What is happening here? I just can hardly wrap my mind around this. But, I am trying.
I will listen more often, maybe even perhaps before I speak. I will not automatically agree with those who feel the same way I have in the past. I will consider that a different perspective, a new way of thinking, another person’s experiences may vastly alter the landscape of any given situation.
I will not assume that being left is always right.
But, I will never, under any circumstances, agree with cowboy boots (unless you riding a horse) or a sweater vest. Fashion is not debatable. On that front, I am always right.
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