Can We Reflect On This?

Let me begin this by stating that I am glad the rein of Osama Bin Laden is over and that we no longer have to worry about this particular terrorist plotting against innocent people worldwide.

As I watched the news last night and the celebration that ensued I was reminded of the images of Palestinians cheering in the streets after 9/11. (I apologize for the comparison but it truly was what I thought about)

I know that the most crucial difference is that on 9/11 innocent lives were lost and that Osama Bin Laden was a mass murderer, but it still somehow gave me a certain sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I’m just as patriotic as the next person and I’ll admit that I am glad that the world is rid of the scourge of Osama Bin Laden… but is it a good reflection on us, as Americans, that we celebrate with such glee over any type of bloodshed?

Perhaps our country is at a crossroads right now and this victory is a light in the darkness. Are we really celebrating the death of Bin Laden or are we thrilled over our own need to reaffirm that we are still the superpower that we have always been?

I don’t know the answers to these questions for sure but I do know that I had mixed emotions.

Things that ran through my mind were:

Ø  How do the families of his victims worldwide (not just here in USA) feel right now?

Ø  What is going to happen next as far as retaliation?

Ø  How did this affect the actual person who pulled that trigger? (to me it is a sacrifice to be the one to actually do the killing of another human being… even if deserved that image will forever be in this person’s head )

Ø  How do Osama Bin Laden’s followers feel right now watching American’s cheering in the streets? Do they feel the same sense of outrage I felt when I watched people celebrating the deaths of my fellow American’s? Will this embolden them or discourage them?

Ø  Who are we as a country? Should we have screamed and yelled in joyous outburst or would we have done ourselves a favor by accepting this news with a reserved dignity thereby reflecting an image more aligned with this message of “Peace” that we continuously give to other countries?

Don’t get me wrong… I too was extremely satisfied with my country and my military when I heard… and even now I have an overwhelming sense of patriotic pride. I love my country and am proud of the fact that we persevere… we protect our citizens… we never forget.

This is just a free flowing thought process as I’m trying to absorb what has happened within my own heart and mind.