With Osama Bin Laden's death, many people are rejoicing. Some do so gladly. Others are not so quick to celebrate the end of someone else's life. Personally, I'm not sad. The only reason I'm not happy is because of the implications that could arise from his death (including more terrorist attacks, xenophobia on the homefront, or the sudden surge of patriotism that always seems to indicate so many good things). Yet, because I believe in autonomy, I cannot solely blame one man for spreading an ideal, just like Obama doesn't deserve all the credit in this scenario as he was not the one who singlehandedly found Bin Laden and executed him (unless you know something I don't).
If someone raped or killed my mother, do you think I'd be sad they died? No. I'd call it justice. Yet, that person's family may not call it justice. They may mourn just as I did. I think where this leaves us is a gray area. There is no black and white. We do value some lives over others, as we'd be quicker to save one who shares our genetics or family rather than a complete stranger if given the choice (which can backed up by evolutionary theory, too, the idea that we preserve those who share our genetic makeup for even family members can pass on our genes).
I'm not going to call someone hateful for rejoicing the death of Bin Laden, but nor am I going to completely turn a blind eye. Like I said, we value some lives more than others, based on context and the action of the people who hold those lives. This is one of those situations where I can more easily adopt Eastern philosophy and be okay with holding contradictory views. I can value life, but also believe that justice (and not one served on behalf of a God) can be served in the taking of one's life.
There are many questions left to be answered, yet that I think do not have answers. I think we should take the time to think about where we are and what we feel, but also be brave enough to defend how we feel (without resorting to trolling).
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