According to Alfred Nobel's instructions, the Peace Prize should be awarded "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."

The vision statement of Alfred Nobel followed from a career and fortune made manufacturing arms and seeding future war, is evidence in itself that humanity can look forward with hope and seek to change itself for the general good through good will. Human achievement on a large scale is rarely - perhaps never - the accomplishment of a single individual. Taking part, contributing, building on the best of our past to create a better, more noble future, is something we can all claim as our aspiration and our responsibility. Looking through a glass darkly, looking for points of complaint and at the same time undermining the work of those who seek to do good works and make life better for everyone does not fulfil that aspiration or responsibility.

Senator Obama, as a candidate, offered a message of hope and the promise of change, if only we take our responsibilities in the world seriously and seek common ground between varying belief and outlook. By inspiring the world with a message of hope and change for the betterment of all of humanity, he took us all forward. He inspired and inspires. He overcame obstacles to leadership that are historic. For that he earned the Noble Peace Prize.

President Obama has a new, larger, task, that of overcoming obstruction from political and religious "true believers" of narrow vision who see only themselves in the world, their interest, and look only to their idea of the past instead of building on the best of the past for the future. He needs to overcome those who obstruct action out of reaction based on their fear and inability to see beyond self-referenced beliefs. Agree or not, he is striving for a better world.

Do we see in this his second Nobel Peace Prize?

Picture credit: Base image by White House Photo, Lawrence Jackson