Words Speak Louder Than Actions

In an event that proves the growing importance of rhetoric, today, President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Just about nine months into his presidency, Barack Obama has earned the right to be put in the same league as people like Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, Frederik Willem de Klerk and the Dalai Lama. That’s a league so extraordinary that things like ending apartheid, tearing down the Berlin Wall and ministering to the impoverished, malnourished, sick and orphaned is just the tip of the iceberg. Quite a privilege indeed.

At 48 years old, Barck Obama is one of the youngest people ever to win this prestigious award. At such a relatively young age, one can’t help but wonder what makes President Obama so exceptionally deserving of such an award. Especially considering how many other qualified candidates there were. What exactly has Barack Obama done to create peace that has separated himself from the rest?

After delivering a commencement speech at Arizona State University in May of this year, ASU refused to give President Obama an honorary degree. ASU has cited that their reasoning was that the president “hasn’t achieved enough.” President Obama agreed with ASU’s rationale. However, interestingly enough, according to the Nobel Foundation, Barack Obama has achieved enough to receive a Nobel Peace Prize. Within the past five months, he must have made some tremendous strides to boost his resume and make the world a more peaceful place.

Alfred Nobel once said that the Nobel Peace Prize is dedicated to “the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” Obama certainly has talked about laudable things like ending wars, closing prison camps and promoting peace.

Well, Obama has expressed considerable interest in removing troops out of Iraq….. and then sending them to fight in Afghanistan.

What about Obama’s promises to shut down the notoriously inhumane Guantanamo Bay? As of today, Guantanamo Bay is still up and operating.

Has the world forgot about Obama’s decisions to bomb Pakistan in his first week in the oval office? Apparently, Obama’s brand of “change” wasn’t applicable to war crimes.

Frankly, it seems that Obama is more deserving of the Nobel Prize for literature than he is of the Nobel peace prize. Obama’s best selling books like “The Audacity of Hope” and “Dreams from my Father” have inspired countless numbers of people from all walks of life. It’s given them hope that perhaps one day, if they learn how to properly use important sounding words and charismatically speak about vague, cliche and subjective terms like “change” and “hope,” they too can achieve enormous success.

Some pundits claim that Obama’s peace prize is great because it will serve as a constant reminder of what he must accomplish to fulfill his ultimate goal of peace. But, aren’t awards given to people for what they HAVE achieved, and not for what they INTEND to achieve? If people can be rewarded merely for what they plan to do, then maybe they should just give all presidents a Nobel Peace Prize. George Bush, for example, intended to eradicate terrorism after 9/11. That’s certainly a noble endeavor. However, his efforts didn’t quite go as he planned. Who is to say that Obama’s efforts to promote peace will go exactly as he plans?

Maybe Lady Gaga should get a grammy for what she might record. Maybe the NFL season should just end now and the Steelers should just get the super bowl trophy. After all, the defending champions have every intention of repeating their success from last year.

In today’s world, words are superior to actions. Why squander the time and effort trying to do lame things like focus on accomplishments when you could just talk about them?