Like many of my generation, I heard news of Osama bin Laden's death via Facebook. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little relieved at this announcement. This is a man who wreaked unspeakable havoc on the world, using his family's construction and oil/gas fortune to preach extremism, breed violence and foster hate. It goes without saying (and yet, here I am, essentially saying it) that he was a dangerous, horrible man whose influence and mere presence in the world certainly did nothing to better it.
The small sense of relief I felt was quickly squashed though, as I read through my Facebook feed and CNN.com, hearing stories of celebrations on my college campus, in New York, Washington D.C., and no doubt, across America. I was taken aback at the portrait these celebrations paint. Something pulled at my conscience and heart as I contemplated what these celebrations meant. Something about this scene just didn't sit well with me. Since when do we celebrate death?
I understand that some people were celebrating a sense of justice or closure while others were merely people watching or creating a memory of a night they are sure to remember forever. But, what further concerns me about these assemblies is the message it sends the rest of the world. Thinking back to the hours and days following 9/11 when we were all glued to our t.v.s, watching Peter Jennings at a literal loss for words over the horrific events, I remember being upset and confused by coverage of citizens in faraway lands cheering and celebrating the day's events. Why would these people celebrate so fervently the deaths of thousands of innocent people? I felt the same sense of confusion, discomfort and general bafflement upon reading commentary on similar displays across college campuses. Couches burning in Maryland and West Virginia, cracking a celebratory Bud Light at the site of Ground Zero or chanting "Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye" in reference to bin Laden: how do these displays portray us? What must the rest of the world glean from these public displays of glee over bin Laden's death? And, as an I read in this article from NPR, "is it ever a good idea — from a spiritual or philosophical standpoint — to celebrate with beer and good cheer over the death of anyone, even a widely acknowledged monster?" My short answer is N-O.
I would instead, along with a large number of Facebook pals and no doubt, many others, argue that the better way to cope can be achieved through a more peaceful philosophy. Enter some real nice words that have blown up on Facebook statuses. They were attributed to Martin Luther King but were actually written by a Theta (read the story here) who used to go to Iowa State but transferred to Penn State the year before I joined:
That bit of wisdom leads me to another interesting tidbit I read in this article:
Before the news last night, it was clear that Osama bin Laden was already losing. The "Arab Spring" of young Arabs and Muslims through nonviolent democratic movements has been a repudiation of bin Laden and his radical terrorist agenda. The death of Osama bin Laden could be a turning point in our ability to both resist evil and seek good, to turn away from the logic of both terrorism and war, and, as the Bible says, to find the things "that make for peace."I've long been a "Support the Troops, Not the War" kind of gal because as idealistic and rainbows and butterflies as it sounds, peaceful social movements work. They're not as quick as extremist thinking, violence and hate, but, all in due time, they get the job done. Bob always told me you'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar...
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