huh, mr nobel, huh.

Had sort of a strange juxtaposition of events today. Riding the subway home there was a man begging for money wearing his certificate of "Honorable Discharge" from the military around his neck like a necklace and complaining loudly about the tardiness of the government in providing the benefits owed to him. This as we were riding over the Brooklyn bridge in full view of the statue of liberty, contemplating quite what it means that Obama won the Peace prize (if anything). I was filled with a great pride and a great sadness at the state of our society. I think Obama handled the prize about as well as he could short of refusing it (and I do not think one can refuse such a thing) and his remarks were eloquent and affirming. I like the idea of it as a call to action as a badge of accountability as something he and our society must live up to. To me, his winning the Nobel, with the world in the state that it is in, seems like a desperate plea from the International community for salvation. Our society has been shifting beneath our feet for the past few years, I think many feel that, and many fear what it means. I think we all want Obama to be worthy of this peace prize. To accomplish what seems, right now, impossible, because we are all so terrified of the alternative. (interesting too that this is a few days after Iran has been revealed by the UN to have unexpectedly advanced weopons capabilities). Lately the climate among my friends has been one of disappointment in Obama, of all the ways he has not lived up to what were, when he was first elected, exceedingly wild and optimistic dreams. All the ways he has not magically transformed our society. All the realities of politics and the fallibilities of humans. And I have been in many ways frustrated myself. I am frustrated. But I do think there is something significant about intent, about rhetoric, and about inspiring hope, and I think that that shift is what the prize reflects--for the fact that we can have some hope, no matter how small, even despite the many ways our country has disappointed. Maybe our hopes are too grand, and maybe more than he can accomplish. But we have to hope that he and we can, because what else are we going to do.