I do not think Osama Bin Laden should not have been held accountable for his actions. Indeed, I think he was a very sick man, who harmed and discarded many lives and was very angry. This, of course, saddens me immensely. I also understand that I have never lost a loved one at the hostile hand of someone else and can see how revenge might feel like "justice" or "closure." However, I do believe that revenge never truly settles the soul and that it takes someone being connected very spiritually to forgive and channel their feelings towards positive change. I do not mean forgiveness in the sense of believing that what someone did was okay. Rather, I mean forgiveness in the sense that we recognize that love is stronger than hate and that people are sick and damaged, so we choose to love because it is more powerful in causing change. I also believe that it really is the only thing that can settle the soul.
The joyous responses to Osama Bin Laden's ordered death make me feel that there is much to be somber about regarding our current state and outlook on the world and our fellow beings. There is currently what seems to be a predominantly "us" and "them" mindset. It seems like there is this idea that we have no role to play in the aspects of other parts of the world that are negative. There is also an obvious "attack" and "react" pattern. There is a lot of fear at the expense of love. I don't think that this raises us to a higher level, the level of love and compassion that truly will change the amount of hate in the world. We are a part of a collective consciousness and are therefore a part of everything. What are we doing with this part?
Years ago, I heard the Dalai Lama speak at a stadium in New Jersey. It changed my life. When asked by a member of the audience what he felt was the most important thing we could do to change the world, he responded, "Education." I realized that he was right; Until we teach love, and until love is learned, people will continue to be driven by fear. This fear is what causes us, the world, pain and suffering.
Here are some thoughts I admire, either on the death of Osama Bin Laden or from elsewhere that I think can relate to the current situation:
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy." (Unknown author, possibly Jessica Dovey)
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, 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." (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)
Osama Bin Laden Dead: A Mindful Response (Elisha Goldstein)
A talk on The Death of Bin Laden (Marianne Williamson)
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