My [disjointed] thoughts on the Death of Bin Ladin.
While I am not saying the man deserved to live, he forfeited is right when he killed thousands of Americans and Muslims I refuse to celebrate his death. Celebrating both gives recognition to a man (despite his death) who deserves nothing but to be ignored. Not forgotten lest we doomed to repeat his reign of terror but not once again elevated to a status that should be reserved for those who do good works. There are people who are pure evil but I cannot hate them, because then I am only doing what they are doing. I can hate what they have done but at the end of the day he is still a man, a horrible man, but a man none the less.
Countless people die for no reason. Countless victims who will never be spoken for. Countless evil men harm these people and will never stand trial. I cannot be happy for something when the evil this man stood for continues. I can only be happy that perhaps those affected, whether killed, injured, or left behind will find some rest in his death. I mourn only because he was not made to stand trial - he was not made to live out the rest of his days tortured with his thoughts, allowed no personal freedom. I cannot be happy because in this case death was a release from a punishment far worse than death.
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"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, adding deeper darkness to a night that is already void of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."
- Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.