sadness at the state of humanity
I've been feeling uncomfortable all day about the reaction to the death of Osama bin Laden, and a couple of things people posted on Facebook really nailed it for me.
The first was a link to an article on Huffington Post called "The Psychology of Revenge: Why We Should Stop Celebrating Osama Bin Laden's Death."
A couple of quotes:
"Celebrating" the killing of any member of our species -- for example, by chanting "USA! USA!" and singing "The Star Spangled Banner" outside the White House or jubilantly demonstrating in the streets -- is a violation of human dignity. Regardless of the perceived degree of "good" or "evil" in any of us, we are all, each of us, human. To celebrate the killing of a life, any life, is a failure to honor life's inherent sanctity.
This was the one that really hit home for me:
Think of it. If a leader in our country were killed by another government in the manner in which Osama bin Laden was killed, as "justice" for his acts of aggression in the War on Terror -- and people from that other country were shown proudly chanting the country's name, singing their national anthem, and demonstrating in the streets -- Americans would likely feel more sickened than joyful, don't you think? The impulse to celebrate a death depends on what side you're on.
I'm remembering the scenes of cheering in the streets after 9/11, and the outrage that sparked in this country and those of our allies.
I understand that killing him was probably the only way they could have handled it. There is no way he could ever have gotten a fair trial, and the danger of terrorists trying to free him would always be there. But I believe that every killing of another human being diminishes us all, and I'm certainly not going to celebrate it. I can understand people being relieved, even glad that he is gone, but not cheering or dancing in the streets.
The other posting was a quote from Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.:
"I will 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."
This pretty much sums up how I feel. We can be so much better than this.
The first was a link to an article on Huffington Post called "The Psychology of Revenge: Why We Should Stop Celebrating Osama Bin Laden's Death."
A couple of quotes:
"Celebrating" the killing of any member of our species -- for example, by chanting "USA! USA!" and singing "The Star Spangled Banner" outside the White House or jubilantly demonstrating in the streets -- is a violation of human dignity. Regardless of the perceived degree of "good" or "evil" in any of us, we are all, each of us, human. To celebrate the killing of a life, any life, is a failure to honor life's inherent sanctity.
This was the one that really hit home for me:
Think of it. If a leader in our country were killed by another government in the manner in which Osama bin Laden was killed, as "justice" for his acts of aggression in the War on Terror -- and people from that other country were shown proudly chanting the country's name, singing their national anthem, and demonstrating in the streets -- Americans would likely feel more sickened than joyful, don't you think? The impulse to celebrate a death depends on what side you're on.
I'm remembering the scenes of cheering in the streets after 9/11, and the outrage that sparked in this country and those of our allies.
I understand that killing him was probably the only way they could have handled it. There is no way he could ever have gotten a fair trial, and the danger of terrorists trying to free him would always be there. But I believe that every killing of another human being diminishes us all, and I'm certainly not going to celebrate it. I can understand people being relieved, even glad that he is gone, but not cheering or dancing in the streets.
The other posting was a quote from Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.:
"I will 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."
This pretty much sums up how I feel. We can be so much better than this.