Evil and Justice (on bin Laden's death)

This morning, I went about my usual routine. One of the things that I do is check my email in the morning and do correspondence if it's needed. I was stunned by the news that Usama bin Laden was captured and killed. I read some articles, watched Obama's announcement and news analysis.

Justice is done. Here on Earth. This is amazing given the fact that justice for terrible crimes against humanity usually is never found in the world or in our life time. For this, we should be glad and we should also feel stronger as a country. But one thing really made me cringe: people celebrating on the streets of New York City and D.C. Rejoicing in death? This makes no sense to me.

Let me be clear: bin Laden bears the moral responsibility on his shoulders. He was responsible for thousands of deaths of innocent victims. Nobody should cry for him. But should we really chant on the streets and celebrate his death?

One of the comments following his death was this: "I rejoice that God gave our troops the ability to find and kill this devil.The king of the dogs is dead. I think we should hang his dead body on a pole at ground zero, point a webcam at him and let the buzzards pick his bones as the world watches. Maybe then the Islamic terrorist will understand we mean business." This is not a way to fight a just war. Fighting a just war means not becoming animals.

I know that this will not be the most popular view that I am writing. And perhaps many will misunderstand me. But I stand firm when I write that our time is better spent reflecting on the moral gravity of death, or on the meaning of suffering, or the problem of evil than parading and "celebrating" on the streets. This was an evil man, but we should not become our enemy. We should not lose our humanity.

Our task is to move out of the oppressive mud of hatred. Father Lombardi (a spokesman for the Vatican) issued a statement following bin Laden's death: "In the face of a man’s death, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibilities of each person before God and before men, and hopes and works so that every event may be the occasion for the further growth of peace and not of hatred."

Whether one is Christian or not, one should listen to these words. They are the words of hope and something we desperately need, reason.