Why I’m Not Cheering, Dancing, or Singing

So, today is the day after it was announced that Osama bin Laden was finally squished under the heel of justice.  Revelry and celebrations are taking place here proclaiming a great victory.  After a daring raid executed with surgical precision by an elite force, the man who orchestrated the deaths of thousands of people on American soil and the soil of other countries, found himself with an unhealthy dose of lead between his eyes.  There is a part of me that is glad that there is one less terror mastermind on this earth who is more than willing to kill, maim, and destroy innocents to supposedly appease a God that he has twisted to his own devices.  This world is probably better off without him.  However, there is a bigger part of me that sees a much different picture.

First and foremost, I want to acknowledge the fine men and women who answered the call and who have been serving overseas in this campaign.  It’s because of their sacrifice, and the sacrifice of generations before them that I can sit and write this tonight without fear of death or penalty.  My hat is off, and my heart goes out to you and the families that you’ve left behind while you serve.  I want to acknowledge those who have fallen in this campaign as well as the campaigns of the past century.  Thank you for my freedom, and thank you for the inspiration of your courage. 

I also want to say that I’m sorry, because when you arrive home, you’re going to find a government that is ill-prepared to meet your needs or support you and the wounds you carry with you.  As you try to rebuild your life from witnessing countless horrors, or as you try to adjust to living with fewer limbs than you left with, I pray that God’s mercy and strength and peace be over you.  I’m sorry that while you gave the best of your life over there, the powers that be will most likely never understand your plight and may overlook you completely, leaving you broken and feeling discarded.  And for that, I’m ashamed.  If it were up to me, our veterans and their families would be well taken care of.

Here is why I’m not cheering, dancing, or singing.  As I watched the events unfold last night, I hear the newscasters talking about the death of this man with a air of pride in their voice.  It really struck a nerve with me.  I watched the reactions flood Facebook and Twitter, and finally added my own to the fray:

So what if bin Laden has been killed? Just another death in an already too bloody war. Certainly more will rise up in his place, and the bloody and destructive cycle of revenge and cold blooded murders will continue. Now that he is gone, will our brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers come home? Or will they still remain in that endless beach with no hope of an oasis? Not much to celebrate, really.

The comments that came in were positive.  A friend of mine, whose husband is in the military, said they were celebrating because they had lost friends overseas and that it was a great victory.  Which she’s right. It’s a victory.  But she mentioned the "eye for an eye" thing in her comment, so I went to the Bible to find the passage and to gain context. The origin of this concept I found in Exodus, which it seems deals mostly with fighting and accidentally hitting a pregnant woman:

“If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life,eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise." (Exodus 21:22-25)

But I also took notice of this (kind of long) passage in Matthew where Christ is telling us that maybe violence is not the best way:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:38-48)

These are strong words for me.  The hardest part for me is that I don’t know what it’s like to have a heart or a spirit that is motivated by revenge or anger.  I don’t feel like I have any enemies.  I’ve been fortunate enough that I haven’t known anyone who was killed in the acts of 9/11 or subsequent acts of terrorism.  I haven’t known anyone who has died in the fight overseas, or anyone effected by it.  It’s hard for my heart to know how difficult it really is to apply the concept of loving your enemy or someone who has committed a grave wrong against you.  To me, this advice is easy to take.  To others, probably not so much.  So I think I can understand the sense of justice they may feel at this moment.  And the need to celebrate, sing, and dance.

But when I see all of that, I’m reminded of the images I witnessed the weeks and months after the towers fell on 9/11.  I’m reminded of watching the extremists sing, and dance, and celebrate at the blow that someone had dealt against what they perceive to be "The Great Satan." How happy they were that thousands of innocent people were dead, as well as the look of joy on their faces as they burned our flag and effigies of our leaders.  I remember how disgusted and appalled I was at that sight, wondering how anyone could celebrate death like that.  Yet I could walk over to the TV right now, turn it on, and see something remarkably similar to what I saw then.  Parents celebrating the death of this man with their children. And it disturbs me that we’re teaching our children that this is okay.  I had a friend, a father, send an invite over Facebook to an "Osama bin Laden is DEAD!" party. I declined, but was disturbed by the event picture he posted with what looked like a picture of an dead Arabic man with a face that was full of blood and what looked like maybe a bullet hole.  A Ch

ristian man, nonetheless.

I’m mindful that this one death came with the price of blood of a countless number of people.  How many of our sons and daughter, mothers and fathers have died over there?  How many innocent lives have been taken in our campaign and hunt for this one man? Where does this cycle of death and revenge come to an end?  I would imagine that Muslim or Islamic extremists are over there watching our celebrations on al-Jazeera or something similar, and feeling as inflamed as I did when I saw them doing the same thing.  I can imagine 10 bin Ladens rising up with a renewed tenacity to strike another blow and to bring the fight back to our shores.  I pray for someone to have to fortitude and courage to stand up and break the cycle of violence, bloodshed, and hatred.

As a side note before I continue, please notice that I said Muslim or Islamic extremists specifically.  While I haven’t read the Koran yet, I feel that I know enough to realize that those who embark on raining terror on those who don’t believe their warped and twisted version of what the book says are more than likely cut from the same cloth as say the members of Westboro Baptist church or abortion clinic bombers.  All of the, in my opinion, are doing things in the name of God that I really don’t believe God would have anything to do with.

I know by putting all of this out there, I open myself up to ridicule and whatever comes with expressing your mind.  Regardless of whether you believe in God or Christ or Gaia or Allah or nothing at all, put those names aside and focus on the wisdom of the passage(s) I posted earlier.  Love.  Forgive.  A friend on Facebook posted this sermon written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr on using non-violence to accomplish your victories.  All through the Civil Rights movement, Dr. King tried to win rights and equalities for African Americans through the means of non-violence, even when met with violence.  His legacy lives on and his words still ring true today as the hateful rhetoric that plagued his struggle back then has faded into the background.  One of my favorite quotes from him has been "The time is always right to do right." Indeed.

One final passage, from the wisdom of Solomon:

"Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them." Proverbs 24:17-18.

Brian