Don't dismiss hope

By Alison Oliver

Recently, I was reminded of one of the central themes and struggles in the Harry Potter saga: trusting in the power of love.

From the first book, Harry asks Dumbledore how an infant could possibly survive the supreme magical power of Lord Voldemort. Dumbledore stated that Harry was saved by love. Harry was skeptical. Don't give me your lofty, fluffy treehugging semantics, professor. There has to be more to it than love. Love itself cannot translate into action.

What can love possibly accomplish in the face of greed, violence, political fumblings and a world of hypocrisy and division? Hmmm ... .

President Barack Obama was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize between September 2008 and Feb. 1, 2009, which means that, at best, he was only in office for a little more than a week. It's probably more likely that he was nominated after the November elections, before he took office. So, this begs the question: What did Obama do to earn his nomination? And then, what was so profound that he actually won?

I've been listening to cynical commentary, diminishing the integrity of the Nobel Peace Prize. This kind of cynicism detracts from the very message that I believe the Nobel committee was sending us. Obama won for his hope activism in the global community. Yes, here we go again. Hope. Not an empty word. An intention and action.

“Hope?” quips our skeptical Harry Potters. “That's it? That's all he's done?”

People started rolling their eyes at hope during the campaign season, except for those who actually were allowing themselves to feel it. For that critical mass of people, the act of hope literally changed how they saw the world, how they saw themselves in the world. Hope is necessary for peace and justice efforts to be successful. Obama gave millions of people an essential tool in the peace process - hope.

Peace cannot be achieved by one person. Obama's message was and continues to be that he cannot bear this responsibility alone. It is our responsibility, and with hope, we can work together.

We have learned that fear does not sustain cooperation. Fear does not trump difference; it exacerbates it. Hope is powerful.

Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize with hope. Not with the might that comes with the highest office in the world. And Dumbledore would be proud.

Alison Oliver of Iowa City is a visiting instructor in the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa. She formerly served as coordinator of Iowa Women Initiating Social Change at the Women's Resource and Action Center.