I was going to post about the Royal Wedding. No, really. I started an entry last evening, and then saved it as a draft because I was too tired to finish it. I fell into bed at about 11:30PM, London time. And when I woke up this morning, things were very, very different. Suddenly, I'm finding it hard to remember what I wanted to say about the experience of joining with London in celebrating a wedding, because I'm thinking about a day almost ten years ago when I joined with Americans in a much more somber event. That day, the "Pearl Harbor" of my generation, is not something that I will ever forget, even though I have no blog entry etc. to mark its happening with. Even with that perceptible memory on the forefront, I can't help but be very very hesitant about the way some of my fellow Americans are commemorating the events of yesterday.
Let me explain. I don't disagree with the use of a strategic military operation to kill a known and acknowledged enemy, particularly when said operation is carried with precision of a an almost-surgical nature, to protect both the civilians in the area and the military personnel involved. It makes me squimish, yes, but then again, so does the whole concept of warfare, historical or modern. I can understand its purpose and admire (some) of its carefully planned methodology without liking the necessity of it. The death of Bin Laden is not what is giving me pause. I am instead struggling with my feelings surrounding the images and accounts of celebrations, mainly in the U.S. to mark the occasion.
I am not intending herein to judge those who feel that today is a day of celebration. I am just expressing my discomfort in equating the death of Bin Laden with festivity, when I'm personally feeling much more trepidation. I do not believe, much as I desperately want to, that this momentous event has ended the war/s my home country is engaged in. I do not for a moment feel my country (or others around the world) is out of the woods when it comes to attacks on our soil, or risk for our servicemen and women. In fact, much as I am loathe to admit it, I fear that, in coming weeks and months, we are probably at a higher state of threat, particularly from sloppy retaliation. While I think some people interpret yesterday as a settling of scores, I suppose my natural pessimism drives me to see as another link in a very dangerous chain. Granted, I'm relieved that Bin Laden is no longer at the helm, but I don't think that the cells he's created etc. will go away overnight. For me, today was not a day of dancing in the street, but rather one marked by a great deal of introspection.
I don't particularly subscribe to the "eye for an eye" school of thought. I can appreciate the necessity of the act, and applaud those who planned and carried the action, particularly with regard for containment of collateral damage. I can't however bring myself to celebrate the death of another human being, no matter how vilely he squandered the life he had. I don't feel like the relief I feel at having one threat removed compels me to dance at Ground Zero. This is of course just my opinion, just one woman's perspective, but I had to put it out there. The footage of the partying and celebration made me bit sick, as I can't help but wonder if that makes us any better than those we seek to defeat. If we're in the right (and I believe we are) then I would wish to behave with more dignity, taking today as a chance to commemorate our dead and thank our servicemen and women, not gloat over the death of one man.
The more time I spend away from my loved ones back home, the more I find myself loving and craving their company. My heart goes out to those people who, on September 12, began facing a life where that separation became the norm. I cannot fathom that pain, and do not pretend to be able to. I do not presume to judge the way that people impacted directly by that terrible morning choose to react to the news that the mastermind no longer breathes. For me, however, I need a little less bragging and gloating, and little more quiet gratitude and hope for the future.
Just my two cents.
No comments:
Post a Comment