Redefining peace

listening skills by telesales magic

Announcing the Peace Nobel Price award to President Barack Obama, the committee stated that: "Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future". Given the short time in office, President Barack Obama has not had the chance to show much results from his intentions, efforts and projects for peace. Most people agree to this fact. Some people would even say that he has not done ANYTHING, which could be considered a relatively true statement also if only speaking of results.
However, there are two factors to take into consideration. One, that peace is achieved when both or several parties reach an agreement for peace. It is not enough to obtain peace with just one side lifting a white flag. Am I right? The opposite party needs to accept the lowering of arms. In this case, there is no much Obama can do, but provide the opening and the offering for peace. Not does Obama nor anybody have the power to change others' attitudes.
Two: at least peace has a start when there is one party that lift the white flag, offers the possibility for communication and opens the door for peace. Doesn't this offer 50% of the relief? Doesn't this humble attitude start a process for peace? Peace starts with absence of enmity, absence of pride, and an attitude of humility and receptiveness, a new way of communicating, listening to others' viewpoints and taking others' opinions into consideration. Peace is being able to state who I am and what I want without thinking that I am the only one right in this world and everybody needs to do things as I want them. Peace is acknowledging other peoples' statements, recognizing that there are more than one solution to a problem and sometimes applying many different approaches may be more effective in solving some problems.
I believe that Obama has DONE much for peace with his ATTITUDE of openness to discussion, will to seat down and listen, humility to give in to better ideas.
He has actually changed the perception the world have now of the USA. Whenever someone tries to impose his or her opinion on others, others shut down, when you ask them their opinion with the intention of listening and maybe taking it into account, others change their attitude, they may even open and share what they think. However, they have to decide if they also want to share, listen and lower arms.
Obama has reached out, asking "what do you have to say?", at home as well as in the world. He is a door opener. But it takes time and a long process of building trust, forgetting the past and forgiving shortcomings, wrongdoings and offenses until people would be willing to walk through those open doors. He inspires the hope for goodwill. Hope is the seed of an attitude that calls for transformation. Peace is an ATTITUDE that generates the transformation PROCESS. That is what Obama has done for peace.