"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."
~ Martin Luther King, Jr
Maybe because I wasn't born in the United States I haven't got as an invested interest in the death of Osama Bin Laden but for the last day and a half I have felt sick, not about his death but about the reaction to it. Please don't get me wrong, he was a horrible man who deserved to live in exile and on the run for the last 10 years. His death was a consequence of his actions. One of things that offended me 10 years ago to the core was the way some of the Muslim countries had massive jubilation rallies at the loss of all the people who perished on 9/11. I was as equally set back if not more so at the jubilation here. Are we not better than that? Maybe New York City; maybe the fire stations and police stations, I'll give them that but to have such a strong reaction everywhere only aggravates the extremists and is a recipe for disaster; chaos actually.
9/11 affected me to my core. It changed me. I was appalled at the attack. I mourned for all the families and their loss. Please understand, I wept as nations all over the world wept. I have a strong opinion of any extremest view in any concern. Osama was an evil man who was NOT a Muslim leader as Barack Obama pointed out. His death was inevitable and what speaks volumes to his character is his cowardliness at placing a woman between him and the soldiers to shield bullets. He is the architect of not only the attack on the twin towers and the pentagon but also countless attacks on marketplaces and public squares in the Muslim world where the women and children of the very culture he fights for lived their daily lives. He was ruthless, as are his soldiers, but celebrating his death just doesn't seem right. It just doesn't make peace the goal.
Wars are a horrible result of egos gone amok. I am a passivist by degree. My world has taught me that communication is key but above that is mutual respect both in the living and death. Canada has a long history of honoring and upholding the causalities of war. There is no glory in beliefs that become unreasonable and people, women and children mostly, being caught between extreme points of view is ultimately the underside of the outcome. The reality of this conflict can be seen in the scores of images of Osama's campaign against his own people. Have you seen them? Have you really seen them.
Becoming like them, celebrating like they do the evil of war is just wrong. This world has far too much anger, far too much hatred, far too much discourse. The Tibetan belief that one soul at peace can make a difference is what carries me. One soul searching for inner peace can affect other souls and so on and so on and so on. How much does this matter to me? I have two grand babies on the way and the world I wish to leave them doesn't have hatred in it, doesn't have hurt or harm and if I can make just one place they can go and feel safe and welcome and leave their fears at the door then I will do EVERYTHING in my power to give that to them. EVERYTHING! Even if I have to change everything about me and the hurt soul I have.
There is no celebration in the Pandora's box being opened. The men of Osama's army will now be on full assault mode. Our safety on every level will now be on alert status and why? All because of a differing point of view? Who's God is more right?
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