Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize

I was surprised and glad to hear that President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize today. On the other hand, I think it was premature. I have heard Senator and then President Obama say many things that could have come from the lips of Thich Nhat Hanh. Just yesterday I heard a quote stating that the existence of Guantanamo Bay probably inspired the recruitment of more terrorists than the prison ever detained. I've heard President Obama express the notion that Thich Nhat Hanh has devoted much of is life to, that using force instead of diplomacy and hatred instead of compassion only creates more enemies.

President Obama gets it, unlike his predecessor. But, President Obama has yet to actualize the values that Thich Nhat Hanh has lived all his life. And I have to wonder why Thich Nhat Hanh was never awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, though nominated. Pick up any of his many books and you'll see the same message of actualizing world peace through the cultivation of individual peace and compassion for others based on recognition of our "interbeing", our interconnectedness.

I'm not a big fan of bumper stickers, but I do have a small one on the back of my 2003 Prius, a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh:

"We are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness."

President Obama seems to understand this. I just hope that the award of the Peace Prize will inspire him to really deserve it.