Surreal Celebrations

It was a sight no one thought they would ever see.  But on the night of May 1^st, and into the early morning of May 2^nd, crowds gathered at Ground Zero in New York City, and celebrated.  I remember going to the site weeks after the September 11^th, seeing smoke billowing up from fires still burning, and it seemed that the attack would remain an open wound on our nation that would never fully heal.  Now, nearly a decade later, people stood at this same place cheering, laughing, crying, and celebrating.

Our generation reacted to the news of Osama bin Laden’s death by using the medium that defines us – the Internet.  We went onto Google Chat, Facebook, and Twitter, spreading the news, cracking jokes by witty status updates (“ok ok ok but why is this eclipsing the royal wedding news,” “The Donald will want to see Osama’s long-form death certificate,” “Jack Bauer is out of retirement”), and expressing our excitement through excessive use of exclamation points and ALL CAPS.

At the same time, however, one quotation with a far more somber tone began to repeatedly appear on social media:

“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.”

The line is by Martin Luther King Jr. (although the ending might remind you more of Vonnegut), and seems a fitting statement from our America’s most revered non-violent activist.  It draws forth a point worth discussing: While we can agree that our nation is better off with bin Laden gone, is a violent death – even of someone so infamous – something that we should ever celebrate?  For several reasons, I think so.

First, the end of Osama bin Laden’s reign as leader of al Qaeda is a huge boost to American safety.  While his death doesn’t end the threat of terrorism, it is a substantial blow to al Qaeda, a group that is already losing influence as democratic reform sweeps North Africa and the Middle East.  Although debate continues as to the degree of impact, it is undeniable that the death of bin Laden is significant, and that the people of the United States and the world are safer for it.

Second, bin Laden’s death provides justice for the atrocities that he perpetrated.  For decades, bin Laden has orchestrated the killing of thousands of civilians, directly targeting innocent men, women, and children in senseless acts of mass murder.  While we can never undo the harm that he caused, we were finally able to provide due punishment for the horrific acts he perpetrated.

Finally, since September 11^th, America’s ability to provide safety and justice has been just out of reach.  The threat of global terrorism seemed to create a world in which these values were simply an unattainable thing of the past.  We were reminded of this every day as we traveled on planes and subways, as we watched seemingly endless conflict rage across the world, as we carried on with our daily lives.  On the night of May 1^st we saw that safety and justice are still within our reach, and that our nation will persevere in achieving them.

These are reasons worth celebrating, but I would hope we have them in mind when doing so.  And while some reactions might seem a bit too cavalier to fully appreciate them, I believe that others were fully aware, and understand exactly what this moment should be: a time of celebration, but a time of reflection as well.

 

Image by David Miller.