Osama, We All Have an Opinion

I try to avoid blogging about political events on my blog. There are so many reasons for this, but Rebecca from Girl's Gone Child said it better than I could have:

"I tend to shy away from political debate here on GGC, because when it comes to politics, we're all wrong. Because we don't know the full story. We don't even know part of the full story. We know slivers of what has been reported, assumed, projected... Because we refuse to listen with open ears to the other side. Because division makes me feel carsick."

 We are all wrong. There is no right or wrong way to feel about the recent events.

Bin Laden is dead. And you can feel happy. You can feel glad. You can feel sad. You can feel angry. Part of what makes the human race remarkable is our differences & unique opinions. This is what makes us, as a collective being, beautiful.

The following is my opinion. I feel like not addressing the news would be an ignorant act. This is my blog & I shouldn't feel guilty for having an opinion or be afraid to offend my readers. Because I trust you all have opinions as well & I can trust that I can listen to your opinion without instantly assuming you are wrong for feeling that way.

My cousin, Josh, who is a chaplain in the Air Force, asked us to relate Proverbs 24:17 to the recent events & I felt it was important to share it.

"Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice."

When I heard the news, I was having a phenomenal evening at my sister's home. Her best friend is currently in town visiting. The house was filled with booze & laughter & high spirits. There was celebration & cheering. There was high fives & "F*ck yeah's." There were toasts. 

Because my sister's home was filled with Marines & corpsmen. 

Her best friend is a woman she met while serving in the Navy. They both are corpsmen & have trained to care for the Marines that have been seeking out this man. My sister's husband is a Marine. My brother was there. The same brother who has completed two tours in Iraq & Afghanistan. The same brother that was awarded a purple heart after being attacked by a sniper.

Between the hoots & hollers, I examined each person's face. I was the only person in the room who had no military service under my belt & I was curious as to what each of these selfless service members were feeling. And between the cheers-ing, I saw profound thought. I saw them remembering things they saw. People they lost. Friends they missed dearly. 

People whose deaths this man gloated about & was proud to carelessly wear under his belt. This man also gladly bore the responsibility for the men, women & children who perished on 9/11.

This makes me angry & heartbroken.

I have seen many friends on social media, "tsk, tsk-ing," the idea of being happy or celebrating the fact that this man is dead. And if I'm honest, I admire them for being so mature & looking at it from a larger perspective. I don't believe death should be looked at so nonchalantly either, but this death, his death. I can't help but be happy about.

I understand that this may make me a bad person. But I can't feel sorry for this man, I can't look at his death profoundly & feel like it is sad & wrong to rejoice. I am absolutely freaking thrilled he is gone from this world. And I don't feel guilty smiling or feeling relief or happiness upon hearing he is dead.

Because the world I want Collin in does not include Bin Laden. And while I understand that I will never be able to rid the world of all of the evils, I am certainly glad that this one is one less for me to worry about.

So tonight, I will kiss Collin's forehead, tuck him in & be thankful that Bin Laden is gone.

And I'm okay with feeling that.