Promises or Acts?

I recently came across a story that really shocked me. During World War II, a Polish woman named Irena Sendler managed to work in the Warsaw ghetto with the intention of saving Jewish children from their certain death. Irena managed to save 2,500 children, and throughout the war helped find their families. In 1943, when the Nazis learned of what she was doing, they brutally tortured her, but she did not disclose any information to them. In 2007, this same woman was nominated to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. However, it was awarded to former U.S. vice president Al Gore for his documentary on climate change, An Inconvenient Truth, and the 2009 prize was awarded to Barack Obama for his promises and good intentions.

It’s not for me to undermine the decision of who is more deserving of this award, but perhaps it should be considered whether an action is worth more than words. Perhaps the intent of these awards is not only peace, but economic or political. Irena Sendler died in 2008 without being awarded the Nobel when she truly was a woman who had done a difficult and daunting task while risking her life for others.

As with this case there have been thousands of others, maybe even some not far from our own lives. Another specific example of unknown heroines is Emily Davidson, a militant of the twentieth century feminist movement who fought for the recognition of a woman’s right to vote, giving even her life, and she still was not recognized for her actions. I think such important awards should not be given so lightly or simply for promises and not acts, as this would have no value or recognition. As it says on the tombstone of Emily Davidson: “Deeds, not words.”