Today, someone, somewhere, lost a father. Someone lost a husband, an uncle, a brother. Today, someone lost a son. It doesn't matter what he's done in his life, these people loved him. They may (or may not) have hated the things he's done, but they loved him. Your heart doesn't let your head choose who you love.
Today people, possibly millions - if not more, rejoiced and celebrated in the death of this same man.
I don't deny this man deserved anything less then death, but I refuse to rejoice over it. How can we still find a way to call ourselves human when we can rejoice and celebrate over something we'd typically curl up and practically die ourselves over? I'm not saying we need to mourn. I'm not saying to swallow that sigh of relief, or to hold back that salute to a passing soldier. We needed this. The world needed it. But are we really willing to lower ourselves to Osama Bin Laden's status and rejoice over the man's death? How does that make us any different than him?
I will forever tip my hat to any soldier for making my world a safer place. I will forever raise the American flag with pride. With joy. I will not, however, raise my glass to a man's death. No matter how vile that man was. No matter how grimy, nasty, or dirty. People like Bin Laden disgust the crap out of me, but I can't help it that my heart grieves for them. I can't help that I feel upset, disappointed, that they left this world without even knowing in their own minds that all they have done was wrong. It saddens me that they, he, probably died without realizing how warped his way of thinking was. That he passed, without even being able to come to that realization and even in the slightest way attempt to make it right. It breaks my heart that he probably never knew of it any other way. That he probably never knew what real love was, or that he never knew how it felt to do something good for someone, something that would bring life into their lives instead of death and torment.
I really don't know how else I could ever describe how this whole situation makes me feel. It's awkward. I'm happy for the people, the families, who were able to find some sort of closure for the actions that were taken against those they love by the hand of this man. I'm glad the world doesn't have to live with wondering were Osama could be, or where he'll strike next. I'm overjoyed that our soldiers have claimed a victory, that our country can be at peace with certain things. But... if this one man could make so many people feel so much hate and know so much loss, then he could of changed the world in a positive way, with a positive influence. He could of really lived his life, with love and true hope. He didn't. For that simple reason, my heart breaks that this man missed his chance to be something great. My heart breaks that his family has to live with that.
