Okay, it's been one day since it was publicly announced that the leader of Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, was killed. I've had time to fully flesh out my thinking on the subject. And overall, I have to say, I'm glad it happened. In the end, I'm glad that this terrorist is dead. Now, I'm not going to be running rampant through the streets with signs reading "Rot In Hell", but I am pleased with this outcome.
This world is a savage place. And I'm not just talking about human actions. I'm talking about the entire planet. Animals viciously attacking each other, giant sinkholes appearing out of nowhere, massive earthquakes, and incredibly powerful tornadoes are just some of the things this world throws at its inhabitants. To live on this planet, we have to have some kind of savagery. If not, we'd go extinct. That is a fact of human existence.
And that is the part of me, that rejoiced in the execution of Osama Bin Laden. The savage part of me that immediately wants to hit back anyone who hits me. The primal part of me that sees an attractive female and wants to just take her. Psychologists call this part of the human mind the Id. It is there, in the Id, that all our dark, masochistic, self-serving impulses come from. Human civilization is made possible because we also developed the Ego and the Super-Ego, parts of the mind that are capable of seeing the benefits of not giving in to every impulse and working together with other humans for our mutual benefit. That's the part that feels shame over the rejoicing of another human being's murder.
But, I'm honest enough with myself to admit that I don't really feel shame about this. After all, I'm a big proponent of free will. And if you're free to decide your fate, you should be prepared to face the consequences of your decisions. Bin Laden reaped what he had sown. The man was a terrorist and caused too much death and destruction to just let that slide. And there was no sign of any kind of remorse or that he was going to stop. If he had walked up to a military base and surrendered that would be different. But, the U.S. military (Much Props to SEAL Team Six!!!) had to hunt the man down. He got what was coming to him.
And for those who are griping about how long it took to get to him, wake up people. These things take time. Not everything in the world is set up for instant gratification!
The trick is what happens now. Is this the end of terrorism (U.S. directed or otherwise)? Not a chance. Will life become nothing but puffy rainbow colored clouds and candy? HELL NO! We have a long line of other problems to deal with, and other threats to our nation that have to be dealt with. What I do know is this: One threat is down. I'm imagining a sign above the military "3 Billion Threats Neutralized" and counting.... NEXT!!
I hope you don't complain then when others rejoice at the death of American civilians and soldiers with the explanation that the US "caused too much death and destruction to just let that slide. And there was no sign of any kind of remorse or that [it] was going to".
ReplyDeleteWe seemed just as idiotic and savage as those who cheered when the Towers went down.
Why should anyone be elated about his death? Has the US disabled the machinery he helped put into place? Does his death reverse what he did? No and no.
Thank you, Anon, for reading and for commenting!
ReplyDeleteNow, to your point, I am the first to admit that the U.S. has caused massive death and destruction around the world. Just what this country did in WWII covers THAT point. And those that we have hurt have every right to rejoice and party at the death of U.S. civilians & soldiers. Just like I have every right to not like it when they do. But it's a completely natural thing.
And in the hunt for Bin Laden, the U.S. and it's allies have done major damage to the organization Bin Laden headed. As I stated in my post, that threat is dead. And I'm glad we got that taken care of.
And while Bin Laden's death doesn't reverse what he did, it prevents future violence at his hands. As a bonus, all the people he hurt in his acts of terrorism, can get a small measure of solace.
And this works for the Media Machine as well, since they can now have the face of another terrorist as the New Face of Evil! So, it's a win-win all around!