I have thought a lot about the killing of Osama Bin Laden. Today the quote by Martin Luther King Jr., has been posted numerous times. I agree with Martin Luther King Jr’s statement that we should not rejoice in the killing of a human being. I am not rejoicing and I am not celebrating his death. However, I know that the world is a safer place now that he is gone.
Love dissipates hate, but it cannot always change a steadfast philosophy of domination as practiced by people like Osama Bin Laden. He is not the first to feel the need to kill innocent people because of a cause and he is not the first to be destroyed by his own personal hate. Unfortunately, we cannot change a man of such immorality, even with love.
Lest we forget the thousands of innocent people who died on that day in September, 2001. They did not hate Bin Laden and unlikely would have tried to harm him. Lest we forget that he has killed many of his own people…why? Lest we forget his choice of domination was to kill. It was his choice and his mindset. Why?
So I ask…would you protect yourself if you were being attacked on the street by a person who had no concern for your life and wanted to kill you? Would you protect the life of a loved one from the same person who was attacking them? Would you protect your children from the same person who would harm them or perhaps kill them? Of course you would? So why is what the United States did to Bin Laden any different? We are protecting the innocent, loving people of this country…as well as the world, from people who do not share the same values for human life as we do. We did not choose this war, but we have to protect ourselves from it so more loving, innocent people will not die. We must be realistic about these situations and act accordingly.
People like Bin Laden self destruct in the long run because they are evil and in the minority. Most human beings are loving, compassionate people who have no thought of harming others and so, therefore, cannot tolerate in any respect the acts of someone who thinks with such hate. We do not deserve to become victims of the Osama Bin Ladens or Adolph Hitlers of this world and that is that! When you choose to think and live as he did, you choose your own demise eventually.
What the United States did to protect our lives was necessary. Again, we did not choose this, but we are responding because we have to. To allow him to live would have opened up the probability of more innocent lives dying for his twisted cause. There was no other choice.
I am proud to live in the United States, a Country that stands up for their convictions. I am proud that we fight for what we believe in and that our fight is for righteousness and good. I am proud that we kept our commitment to make our Country a better and safer place to live by facing terrorism head on. I do not condone killing, but sometimes it is necessary to protect against those who do.
As I was awakening this morning by one of my cats jumping on my bed to greet me, I lay there for a few moments petting her. As I watched her in total capitulation to me and enjoying the attention I was giving her, I reveled in how content and happy she was to have me stroking her. I thought “how could anyone turn on someone, human or animal, who is so loving, trusting and vulnerable to another?” But humans sometimes do ~ animals rarely.
When we give our hearts to another and our hearts are pure towards that person, the betrayal can be crushing to our soul. And once betrayed by those we love and trust we are changed forever and so is the course of our life. Love is precious and should be treated with the reverence it deserves. To give our heart to another is the greatest of vulnerability and meaning. Should we fall out of love and need to walk away, it is essential that be done with dignity and compassion. It is completely unacceptable to destroy the heart of another for any reason.
Fortunately, the great majority of people are good and loving, but we are a selfish breed as well. Perhaps we should allow nature and animals to teach us more about altruism, pure love and loyalty.
