Those optimistic Norwegians

When I was more of a churchgoer, I used to hear a lot about "stepping out on faith." The concept: It isn't enough just to believe you know what God wants. You also have to act. And sometimes you have to trust in your beliefs enough to act, even though you're not sure what the outcome will be.
The big example of this usually came at pledge time, when everyone was urged to commit their dollars for the coming year, even though they were unsure of their future bank accounts. After all, "His eye is on the sparrow."
What makes me think of this today is the announcement that President Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize. This despite the fact that he has been president nowhere near long enough to have much of an impact on world peace. The committee apparently felt his election was enough to give hope of world peace after such a long reign by the Bush family.
It's the ultimate optimistic act. In naming Obama, the committee has stepped out on faith--warranted or not--that good things will come of his presidency.
Okay. So the message is, take action based on your trust in a good outcome.
But I don't mind admitting, even as a committed leftist, liberal hippie wannabe (fill in more character slurs of your choice) I have trouble with this concept, because it has so much to do with what's gone wrong with everything. Sure, that house (or car, or computer) is a little more than we can afford. But things are looking good. Let's overextend our credit--just for a year or so. And no, we don't have much saved for college, but with the way the stock market is going, it will double in no time. In fact, maybe the markets would be the best place for everyone's Social Security.
We all know how well that would have worked out.
Nevertheless, the Nobel committee apparently believes in stepping out on faith. Let's hope Obama doesn't let them (or us) down. As for me, I'm happy to reserve judgement until some data starts coming in.
What's that saying of Obama's I was so fond of a few months ago? Oh, yeah.
"I'm an optimist. Not a sap."