Monday, May 2, 2011

In the news

Some may call this un-American, but I won't be celebrating Osama Bin Laden's demise.

Yes, it is historic, and yes he did a lot to hurt America. But he is still a man. When I hear of people cheering and raising a pint to celebrate his death, I shake my head and am forced to consider the parallels between these images and those of Muslims celebrating the collapse of the World Trade Center. Somewhere lost in our hatred of what Osama Bin Laden stood for is the fact that his life just ended.

At the risk of exposing my bleeding heart, I acknowledge that when I face death (either personally or in the news) I pause for reflection. Many times I am struck by some aspect of a person's personal triumph over their situation or how precious life is. But in this case, I have to ask the following question - what did this death accomplish? Can we, as a county now say that we won the war on terror? Will Obama now be praised for his toughness and not called to produce his University report cards? Were the thousands of lives, both American and foreign, worth it? Only time will tell.....

2 comments:

  1. ‎"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy, returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

    ReplyDelete
  2. A potentially surprising commentary (for those who might not know much of Henry Rollins on the subject: 05-04-11   NO FACE

    ReplyDelete