Tagged: malala yousafzai

Even Beethoven didn’t write his first great symphony until he was in his 30s, and music is the sort of endeavour which can be focused on exclusively, it doesn’t require a breadth of life experience – just a lot of time. Politics, meanwhile, demands a wide set of experiences, a familiarity with the human condition, an awareness of your own dark nature, and a broad understanding of the various philosophies and ideologies which govern human society. There are no savants in politics; and for a teenager to be awarded this medal demeans the medal, as well as the recipient.