Much controversy has been stirred up by the recent awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama so early into his Presidency. Some see it as an embarrassment and encumbrance to the work before him, others see it as a triumph of good intentions over effective implementation of policy; others still, regard it as little more than a slight against the previous administration. Whatever the rights and wrongs of these and the many other points of view, a more expanded perspective can be gained by exploring the meaning behind this event.

According to Alfred Nobel’s Will, the Nobel Prize should be awarded to the person who “during the preceding year… shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”.

While this dictum may be interpreted in terms of outer events and measurable changes, its psychological aspect is arguably more important, for those fundamental ideals which can bring about international peace must first gather sufficient mental and emotional force to empower outer changes. The skilful projection of a vision through the right use of oratory is of immense importance in this process. Great oratory awakens hope and adds its momentum to the transformative process to ensure its emergence in the world of physical plane events. Tied down as we are in the world of the five senses, it may not be easy to relate cause and effect; but in the realm of conscious energy, every momentous thoughtform must reveal itself in the mundane world at some point.

Not for nothing is the term “a ray of hope” evoked in journalistic circles in contrast to the gloomy background of world affairs. Diana Mukkaled, a prominent and respected journalist in the Arab world, remarks that “Obama possesses a particular ability to push matters towards hope, not only in America, but also in the rest of the world. Perhaps the Nobel Peace Prize will contribute towards making this hope a reality, particularly in our countries that are drowning in despondency and despair.”

Though hope may be transient, it is a carrier wave for a principle or truth to be ushered into the collective consciousness. There it resides in latency until the next wave of hope reawakens and strengthens it. The recognition of a new truth, a spiritual principle, thus makes its way incrementally to the forefront of public consciousness, its pressure eventually achieving sufficient influence to become an effective agent of change.

President Obama's many speeches have “captured the public imagination”, thereby energising a positive vision of hope for the future. Their quality could be described as that of the practical visionary rather than the mystical dreamer. The difference between true vision and non-pragmatic idealism is a fine line, but when the hope of nations soars in response, it is a sure sign that the right spiritual note has been sounded. When people are brought together by such a vision, a bond of world unity is recognised and this provides an unique opportunity to the spiritual Hierarchy Who stand behind world affairs to help further integrate the consciousness of the “one” humanity. For unity is the destiny of humanity, as a clear-eyed study of the evolution of social consciousness and its imaginative projection into the future reveals.