As many cheer, I watch. As many gather and sing, I watch. As I see posts such as “rot in hell” and others similar, I watch. As many others run to join them all in the celebration, I watch.
I can not bring myself to cheer for the death of one man, no matter how evil. I'm not sure why I can't. One man, that I have never met, that has commanded such unspeakable acts, and yet I can not cheer for his death. When I posted my feelings this morning, the reaction was surprising to me. Replies suggesting that I am not patriotic, I had to quickly defend myself. I am proud to be an American. I support the troops. This man needed to be stopped, but he is merely a symbol of evil. He is not THE evil. Apparently, that is good enough for most. “An eye for an eye” one post read. “Not even close” was all I could think. No act of revenge could ever make things right.
I'm sad. I'm sad that any American would cheer for the death of any man. I'm sad that his death has made him even more of a hero in the eyes of his followers. I'm sad that the death of this man will not bring an end to terrorism. I'm sad that there are 100's of others just like him willing to take up his cause and 1000's more willing to carry out the orders. I'm sad that this will certainly bring more attacks to American soil. I'm sad that so many lives have been lost already. I'm sad that we will certainly be grieving over more American deaths. I'm sad that the death of this one man won't bring true closure to anyone. I'm sad that anyone ever thought it would.
If you are interested in reading more, I found this blog sums things up well at the end: http://bit.ly/lBFUFU
=J
I found this post to be very insightful. Thank you for sharing your feeling so openly.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Belle. I appreciate the kind words.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way. Aa a Christian I think my sadness comes from the fact that he isn't in heaven with the Lord. Instead, a horrible horrible place. There is no more hope for him. I know his death was necessary for many reasons and I respect that. But I can't help but feel bad. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you Y.G.T.H. for taking the time to read my post and for sharing your thoughts as well. It is nice to read posts of compassion as opposed to blood lust.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you for having the courage to post this. I posted something similar on Facebook yesterday and was pretty much ripped to pieces. But there are those of us who stand together in love and are committed to spreading the light. Take heart -- you are not alone!
ReplyDelete"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, 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."
~Martin Luther King, Jr
God bless. Oh, and I'm now following you -- I found you through BloggyMoms. I'd love it if you'd stop by my page and even return the follow. I write a humorous blog about the joys, trials, and tribulations of motherhood at www.misadventuresinmotherhood.com
Smiles, Jenn
Jennifer, thank you so much for your comments. It is giving me more hope in humanity, knowing that I am not alone. Yes, I am still getting backlash today on FB. There are a handful that are getting brave enough to post support of my ideas. One person told me that they had been afraid to say anything.
ReplyDeleteEven the MLK quote you posted... I posted as well. I saw it posted in 2 different places and then cut & paste. Turns out that only part of it is his quote, the first line is not. I got ripped up for that too because some blogger said the whole thing was fake. Then I felt the need to post "No matter who wrote it, I still agree with it." I am amazed by the anger his death is pulling out of people and being misdirected at the compassionate.
Thank you for seeking me out and now following. I will follow you too.
Smiles to you!
=J