On May 2, 2011 the streets of the United States were flooded with smiling faces. Rejoicing and celebrating, these people were chanting "U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A!" They were proud. They were victorious. They had accomplished something great as a nation. They had killed a man.
A knot had developed in my stomach as I watched the news. It was persistent and made me feel extremely uncomfortable. Something about this win didn't feel right to me. I did not agree with celebrating the death of an individual, no matter how destructive and evil they had been.
The American reaction to the death and capture of Osama Bin Laden relates strongly to the victorious celebrations of the ancient Egyptians. Both believed that the heavens support them, that God could be partially attributed for their achievement, and showed no sign of respect towards the enemy. Americans cheered and drank. Egyptians paraded through towns holding great pride in the number of enemy soldiers slaughtered on the battlefield.
I myself did not lose a loved one in the 9/11 attacks so I have not emotionally involved myself in the long awaited revenge. I understand peoples' hatred and I understand the feeling of justice that was ignited by this murder. But I would like to pose a question: Would your idea of a higher power celebrate the death of an evil person?
I understand that, at a point, the amount of harm generated by an individual may cause the need for them to be eliminated from the world for the greater good but I do not support destructiveness and violence in humanity whatsoever, I find fault in both sides. Murder is murder and I do not find the celebration of a death to be morally proper. After all, doesn't an eye for an eye leave the whole world blind?
Meet hatred with kindness, blackened hearts with compassion, and indecency with respect. That is how we will make a better world and a better humankind.
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