It is a classic war...Good vs. Evil...Right vs. Wrong....Us vs. Them. I am conflicted...yes I believe that O.b.L. was a morally corrupt, hateful, vengeful person..who killed innocent lives to further his own agenda. Yes I believe in a God that differs from his...I believe in faith and promise. I believe in civility, and faith, and peace. I also believe in justice, and Karma, and Hell. And while I differ drastically from him in my beliefs, I also believe that, as a human, I should be outraged at the overwhelming joy in his death. He was flawed, clearly, but only by OUR standards..OUR religion..OUR beliefs.
I am not saying that I condone, or even forgive, what he did. Clearly I do not. My heart hurts for all those who have been lost, who mourn, who still suffer. I cried when 9/11 happened..just like the rest of the country. I cry still. I watch soldiers and sailors leave home to defend a country that has seldom defended them. I stand with pride for the flag and I bow my head for military funerals. I pray ceaselessly for the men and women still fighting unknown and unseen enemies. Osama bin Laden believed in something very different...quite possibly something known only to himself. And while he now stands in judgement before whatever God he answers to..it is not for me, or anyone else, to offer judgement here on Earth.
I am relieved that he is dead...that maybe now my beloved country can find some peace...maybe now those lost and those left behind can find some solace, some comfort, and some rest. Maybe now we can let go of the fear and hate that consumes our nation. Or maybe we will simply find another reason to spread hatred...find another Devil waiting in the shadows...find another focus for our fear. More likely the latter.
You see....anger begets anger. Hatred begets hatred. And as we have proven....killing begets killing. It is a vicious cycle of violence that we perpetuate and celebrate. Are we any better than O.b.L.....we killed him out of principle, duty, and retaliation. He hid behind ideals and religion..an invisible concept to which he held firm. We have lost many, true, but we have also taken lives, broken families, and held firm to our own standards. The lives of foreign soldiers are no less valuable than the lives of domestic ones.
Make no mistake...the war is just beginning. There will be followers and O.b.L. will be martyred in a way that we cannot begin to comprehend. We have spent a decade hunting and vilifying a man..a mad evil man to us...but a hero to others. There will be retribution, retaliation, and return. We may never fully recover from the tortures that we inflict upon the world. I fear the future we leave for our children.
Here is what is in my heart at this hour...we celebrate the death of a man (a man...nothing more)...and this death does nothing for us, represents nothing to us, and stands for nothing about us. We are overjoyed, but our lives remain virtually unchanged. His death will not bring our troops home...in fact, it will increase the need for their presence more than ever. We must stand firm in faith....we must celebrate the one man...Jesus...who died willingly for us~and whose death means more than violence and war and turmoil. We need the peace, love, and forgiveness that He offers us..that He sacrificed for us...and that He promises us. Without that..we are a nation bound to repeat the sins we are trying to repent.
And once again...this is all just my humble opinion. I sit quietly in prayer today for my nation, my heart, and those that I love. I pray for understanding to consume us...and healing to begin.
No comments:
Post a Comment