Feelings

There seems to be a lot of chatter going about regarding what is appropriate when it comes to the death of Osama Bin Laden. A lot of the celebratory gatherings seem to offend those who don't wish death upon anyone and have made their disapproval public. There are those who would like Americans to use this moment as a time bit of quiet reflection. They'll also misquote Martin Luther King Jr while doing so oddly enough.

Who the hell gets off telling someone else how to feel? When Osama was killed I watched the streets of Washington DC and New York erupt into jubilation. While I at first felt uncomfortable with celebrating someone's death I soon realized it wasn't all about the terror mastermind being killed. These were people who felt they were at death's door for the past decade. They lost many loved ones in those horrific attacks and gained a bit of closure. After so long the country felt a bit more secure. To assume that everyone dancing in the streets or feeling any bit of happiness at Osama's demise is some fool with a bloodlust is arrogant.

I didn't lose a loved one on 9/11 thankfully, but had I did I might be inclined to feel a bit more jubilant about Osama's passing. I should make no apologies for it. I understand the feeling that it's immoral to want someone to die, but to claim that as an absolute and then wag your finger at those who feel differently than you is a bit trite. This is not the time to be holier than thou.

We'll go through this nonsense again when Fred Phelps meets his maker.

"What kind of nation and what kind of species do we want to be? Do we want to become a species that honors life? Do we want to become a species that embodies peace?" - Pamela Gerloff - Writer, education futurist, specialist in transformational change.

The Psychology of Revenge: Why We Should Stop Celebrating Osama Bin Laden's Death