I might be in the minority but I had a really difficult time last night celebrating the death of Osama Bin Laden. I was really put off by the celebrations at Ground Zero and in front of the White House. It’s not that I’m not an American or unpatriotic. Just the opposite. But why would we want to celebrate the death of another human being. I’m not an eye for an eye type person. Then to gather in the thousands and celebrate it. Why not put a bullseye on America? By celebrating the way people did was to do nothing but provide propaganda for terrorist groups around the world. I was more concerned about the level the terrorist threat was going to jump to than anything. I’m more concerned about the loss of future lives over what can be perceived as American arrogance. Great, he’s dead. One threat down. But let’s not take to the streets to celebrate
As I watched CNN last night I was troubled. I couldn’t put my finger on it but I felt uneasy. It wasn’t until a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. started circulating on Facebook that my uneasiness began to make sense:
”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 for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” –MLK Jr.
Peace!
Addendum-
Even better was this article that was published in The Atlantic.
Turns out the quote is probably not from MLK. Either way, I still like it. This also shows that social media is also not the most reliable when it comes to sourcing.
