Friday, October 9, 2009

The Nobel Peace Prize

What a morning! 

I found $2 on the street during my run.  I always try to give found money to the next person I see who looks like they need it. This usually happens within a couple of blocks in my neighborhood, with all the out of luck and homeless human beings in Oakland these days. (I will write more here one day about circles of gift giving, which has particular importance to art and many artists as written about by Lewis Hyde in The Gift)

Then Barack Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize!  Huh? (probably the initial reaction of many people)  On further reflection though I found this brilliant!  I had pretty much put it together myself, when Rob Gifford, NPR correspondent from London gave a European reaction.  Of course the President did not win this prize for anything he had done but for his vision and aspirations for a more cooperative world without nuclear weapons. But it is much, much more than that.  I think this is a very clear message to the people of the United States from the rest of the world.  It is that Barack Obama is the kind of person we want to be the leader of the free world and that he accurately reflects the desires and aspirations of most leaders and peoples outside of the US.  It is also a strong endorsement of a philosophy and politics of inclusion, cooperation and care for others who are less fortunate. 


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