It’s Never Too Late to Change(Ⅰ)

16 It’s Never Too Late to Change (I) Nearly everyone is familiar with the five famous Nobel Prizes given annually for excellence in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace. But many would be surprised to learn that Alfred Nobel, the father of the most prestigious prize in the world, was also the inventor of dynamite and made most of his fortune as an arms builder and seller. Through his many factories in more than twenty countries, he fuelled the armies and wars of Europe in the late 19th century. " How could this man be responsible for the peace prize?" you might ask. It's a natural question that many have asked since Nobel's death in 1896. The answer provides us with some insight into the old wisdom that it's never too late in life to change.

Had it not been for a remarkable event late in Alfred Nobel's life, the world would remember him only as a weapons inventor and arms dealer. However, as an old man, a simple twist of fate led him to make a decision that resulted in the Nobel prizes. When one of Nobel's brothers died, the newspapers in Sweden, Nobel's home country, mistakenly reported that it was Alfred who had died. As is common when a rich or influential person passes away, the newspapers print obituaries. An obituary is an article that describes the life of someone who has died, and outlines some of that person's accomplishments. The newspapers said some rather unpleasant things about Alfred. One writer said that the work of Alfred Nobel had made it possible for humans to kill each other more quickly and in greater numbers than ever before. Not exactly what an old man might want to hear about his life's work. It isn't often that someone gets to read his obituary while he's still alive. Imagine what Alfred Nobel must have thought as he was reading it. He could not have been pleased that this was how the world and history would remember him long after he was gone. But Alfred Nobel was about to make a decision that would change the world for the better.