It was a faint line that brought you here

United States President Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize made me think about leadership.

United States President Barack Obama has accepted the Nobel Peace Prize amid a flurry of activity that included protests, a grand dinner in his honour and mixed reviews from the American public and the world.

The Dalai Lama stated (very diplomatically) that it was, perhaps, a little early for America’s commander-in-chief to be given such an award: he has been in the White House for barely a year, after all.

The Tibetan spiritual leader was not alone in this corner… Obama himself admitted during his acceptance speech that as a wartime president, he was a controversial choice for the medal. He even acknowledged that there were many others who deserved it more.

Still, the award that once found a home with the likes of Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi and Kofi Annan now also belongs to Barack Obama. Let’s hope he endeavours to deserve it.

The title of this post is borrowed from the lyrics of A Good Start by Maria Taylor.

Janine Papendorf likes coffee, chocolate and wine. Not necessarily in that order. She’s married to a nerdy biker and they’re raising Cape Town’s cleverest child. When she’s not building Lego castles or watching old movies, Janine likes to send words into cyberspace. She’s a freelance writer and content strategist based in South Africa’s beautiful Mother City. Witness her obsession with pink flowers on Instagram, or contact her to collaborate on a project.