Peace at Any Cost-The Journey of the Nobel Peace Prize

chillibreeze writer — Kalpana Shivdasani

We humans are a complex lot. Reasonable, intelligent and controlled at most times, while being equally capable of displaying qualities that are less than worthy, with little or no provocation, at other times. For many of us, the fight is an ongoing one, to subdue our baser instincts and cultivate the growth and sustenance of the higher.

It is an acknowledged fact that those who have succeeded in overcoming their less than noble qualities exude an aura that is lustrous and tranquil, even ethereal. Ascetics are a case in point. But for many of us, foregoing the worldly life is a near impossibility. Nevertheless, there are amongst us, those who strive for peace in their immediate environs and for calm and order in the world. This select lot devotes enormous amounts of time and energy towards achieving their goals, and they deserve to be recognized for their efforts, don’t you think?

Alfred Nobel certainly seemed to ascribe to the view and was amongst the first to acknowledge their good work. A man of multiple talents, he was born in 1833 in Sweden. Chemist, engineer, armament manufacturer, linguist and poet, he was also the inventor of dynamite. Nobel, a recipient of no less than 355 patents scaled monumental heights in his day and time.

In a tragic accident at a factory owned and managed by the Nobel family, his brother and four others were killed; the explosion was caused by dynamite. Possibly, that was what prompted Nobel to leave in his will, dated 1895 (he died in 1896), his prize money, for the institution of the Nobel Prize. A prize that was to be awarded to those who had contributed significantly, during the course of a year, to the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Economics and towards promoting peace.

The first Nobel Peace Prize was won by the founder of Red Cross in 1901. He shared the honor with a leading international pacifist of the time. Thereafter, the 20th century saw many distinguished and deserving individuals earn accolades for their labors. The first decade of the 21st century has already seen the man who holds the highest office in the world, Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, and the man who could have been his predecessor, Al Gore, credited and applauded for their contributions—the former, in the highly complex and delicate issue of international relations, and the latter, for inculcating an awareness and sensitivity about global warming.

Two notable individuals of the last century became Nobel Peace Prize laureates within 10 years of each other. They were Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama. Both worked tirelessly towards achieving peace. Another iconic figure of the same era was Mohandas Gandhi. He who was not granted the Nobel Peace Prize, a fact that was subsequently regretted.

Gandhi was a small man of indomitable spirit and the architect of the non-violence movement in India. He promoted a philosophy that went on to be regarded and appreciated world over. For him personally, the fact that he was able to use the instrument of peace gainfully, to achieve his mission was reward enough. He neither aspired for, nor regretted not being conferred with the Nobel Peace Prize.

Perhaps, we should all take a leaf out of Gandhi’s book and work towards our end objectives, unmindful of praise or blame. As long as we are true to ourselves and do not hamper the growth or progress of another, we are all winners. Award or no award; victory is still ours. Agreed?

 

 

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Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in August, 2010. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

 

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—About our writer: Kalpana Shivdasani, an MBA in Finance, has been associated with manufacturing companies for 7 years, largely in the techno-functional arena. Analyzing business systems and processes, budgeting, forecasting and implementing ERP systems are her core areas of expertise. For the last 6 months or so, she has taken to writing full time and has written articles on a host of subjects, ranging from mobile advertising, VoIP, Forex trading systems and beyond. She has also written essays on varied subjects like Social Media, Understanding D.H. Lawrence Through his Letters, and Personal Moments That Leave Their Indelible Mark. She operates out of Pune.

 

 

 

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