Something to Ponder
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
While I am greatly relieved that Bin Laden is gone and I think the world is a better place without him, I will admit that I don't feel the same sense of giddiness and excitement that some have. A few of my friends have been posting this passage from Proverbs (24:17) and seen to be getting some flak.
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
I think there is something to be said about giving credit where credit is due, then moving on and hopefully making wise decisions.
9 comments:
I agree. I don't feel bad for his death and am thankful he resisted, so the people who have lost loved ones do not have to deal with a trial. That said, I don't much like the party atmosphere after his death.
It looked like a frat party in front of the Whitehouse and basically was one judging by the age group. I had a friend who went down there who said it was a more mixed group than what we saw on TV, but still did not look good.
The rejoicing definitely did not reflect what I felt or what I think is a proper way to express our reaction. I take my que from those who lost family and friends. They are not partying, but are still thankful that chapter has closed.
They were interviewing the spouses of people currently serving overseas on NPR and they all seemed very subdued.
A friend just posted this on Facebook:
"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
On one hand, I was jealous that I wasn't one of those door-kickers. I'd have re-enlisted just to do that. I imagine the military was at no lack of volunteers for that particular mission.
So, yeah, I am thrilled he's dead, and I am thrilled about how it happened an I am thrilled we lost nobody but an outdated yet still massively useful CH-46.
Then...I read this and got depressed, cuz I can't say he's wrong.
CH-46? I thought it was a Special Forces version of the MH-60Black Hawk with external wing tanks and rocket pods.
See the tail in this photo:
http://images.defensetech.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/black-hawk-bin-ladenraid.jpg
I heard that a Blackhawk sustained damage and had to be destroyed. A CH-47 was then used to ferry out the troops.
I am one of those people who have posted that quote from Proverbs.
In spite of our very human desire to seek revenge, and our very American happiness to see this man dead, God is reminding us that each and every human bears the Imago Dei, the Image of God.
So I think He is calling us to temper justice with mercy as often as we can, and as well to realize that we ALL have a Judge to answer to in the end.
St Nicolai of Zica begins his Prayer for Our Enemies with this paragraph, that gives some light to what I am thinking.
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.
Enemies have driven me into Your embrace more than friends have. Friends have bound me to earth; enemies have loosed me from earth and have demolished all my aspirations in the world.
Enemies have made me a stranger in worldly realms and an extraneous inhabitant of the world.
Just as a hunted animal finds safer shelter than an unhunted animal does, so have I, persecuted by enemies, found the safest sanctuary, having ensconced myself beneath Your tabernacle, where neither friends nor enemies can slay my soul.
MIT. Thank you for posting that prayer.
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