Every now and again a speech is made which somehow manages to elevate the issues to which it refers to a higher plane. Barack Obama's words of acceptance in Oslo following his award of the Nobel Peace Prize was just such a speech. Some people think that if Barack Obama recited the phone book it would move his audience to tears, but the fact is, beneath that ultra smooth delivery, he made some salient points too.
He speaks as if moved by a higher purpose, guided by a divine light. His vision far exceeds the vision of most other politicians on the world stage today. He spoke about a world tolerant of other races, other beliefs, about politicians who have the courage to break the mould by inviting their enemies to enter into dialogue. Above all he made it clear that, although wars are inevitable, the route to peace does not always have to be military. He did not start the two wars America is presently involved in, but he is committed to seeing them through. For the future, he envisions more stringent pressures being applied by a global marketplace, where each country depends economically on every other, with effective, honed, fiscal incentives and punishments in place to deter rogue states from misbehaving. Not a single life need be lost.
As always with Obama, there is the moral undercurrent, which tentatively suggests we ought to take responsibility for our own actions before throwing stones at someone else's glass house. The political cliche is "get your own house in order first" before you can be a model for the rest of the world. Some may interpret this softer, more inward looking approach as indicative of a crisis of confidence for the once supreme superpower, but although this is a break from the jingoism of America's imperial past, macho posturing these days is not cool, and nowhere near as important as it once was. In some ways the financial crisis has done us all a favour by opening up our minds to new possibilities. What people want now from government is concern not coercion; concern for the environment, concern for the impoverished, concern for each other. Americans have always been good Christians; perhaps it's time for a little Christian tolerance. Nation states, no less than individuals, have a duty to forgive and repent, in other words to let go of the past and dream of a better future.
Obama gives the impression that he fully understands that, which is what makes him the perfect recipient of this award in the first place. And who knows, once the "enemy" realises that the threat of nuclear obliteration at the hands of "greedy Americans" has at last gone away, the rallying cry from terrorists will go away too. This is foreign policy based on wisdom not aggression, and a beacon for the rest of the world to follow.
Milton Johanides is a retired businessman, church elder, writer and artist. He has been featured on BBC TVs Songs of Praise, owned numerous art galleries and once ran an award winning picture framing business in Scotland. The views expressed in these articles are his own. email: miltonjohanides@yahoo.co.uk Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Milton_Johanides |  |
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