Osama bin Laden is Dead: Oh Happy Day?

"Perhaps, when we remember wars, we should take off our clothes and paint ourselves blue and go on all fours all day long and grunt like pigs. That would surely be more appropriate than noble oratory and shows of flags and well-oiled guns."-Kurt Vonnegut

May 1, President Obama addressed the nation to announce that Osama bin Laden had finally been killed by U.S. troops in Pakistan during a covert operation. The address was televised at 10:30 p.m. CST, but many found out more than an hour beforehand. I learned of bin Laden's death on Facebook, like so many others who found out via Facebook, Twitter or text message. From 9:36 p.m. (the exact time I learned the news), to the time of Obama's address, an explosion of status updates praising bin Laden's death were posted.

When I found out last night my reaction was less than celebratory. I suppose I was relieved he had finally been killed, but will it really change anything? Did the threat of terrorism die with him? Certainly not. I think the reason my heart kind of sank when I heard the news was because, ultimately, I know that taking his life in no way stops the taking of more lives.

I am a feminist who does not believe war can be beneficial to society. I also do not believe in torture or capital punishment. So when people are actually out celebrating someone's death--no matter how terrible a person they might have been--it just feels wrong. Instead of celebrating this should be a time when we show the world that taking life has weight with all of us, and that we do not see death as victory, but rather we see the passing of an enemy as an opportunity to look into ways of making peace in the world.

I have to say (and this doesn't happen often), that I really admire the statement put out today by the Roman Catholic Church. It stated: "Faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibility of everyone before God and man, and hopes and pledges that every event is not an opportunity for a further growth of hatred, but of peace."

What I always remind myself of when the media is talking about terrorists or other "enemies" is that they are people. They are human beings who, along the way, had certain experiences that left them with a very different belief system than mine and a very different perspective of the world. This lead them down a path which I and my society view as dangerous and wrong. But, if I were to have lead their life, would it seem so wrong to me? I know that seems pretty ridiculous to most people, but people have so many vast and varied experiences living in this world that some end up as the "enemies". To them, their life is valuable, and for that reason I see no reason to raise our flags or fists in celebration of another life lost.

NPR also seems to have been thinking the same thing as me these past 24 hours. To check out their article, go to npr.org