I Had Been Hoping...

This morning the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize was announced.
The prize this year went to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
This is the United Nations backed group that is overseeing the dismantling of the stock piled chemical weapons in Syria. By all accounts it is a small group that does important work.  And the dismantling of chemical weapons world wide is certainly an important goal.

But, I had been hoping…
I had been hoping the Peace Prize would be awarded to Malala Yousafzai, the 16 year old Pakistani girl, whose advocacy for education, particularly for girls, made her the target of a Taliban assassination attempt a year ago. Over the last several days she has been in the United States promoting her new book I Am Malala and talking about her experience and her hopes. She has stunned audiences with her courage and her wisdom. I had been hoping she would win the Peace Prize not only for her ongoing witness, but also for what it would say to the millions and millions of young adults around the world, many of whom live surrounded by violence and poverty, who long for role models that promote justice and inclusivity and understanding rather than extremism and violence. What would it have said to them if a 16 year old girl took center stage and spoke of peace and hope and a vision for the future that would inspire us all.  One can only wonder.

I had been hoping…