The Bell Tolls

No  man is an island entire of itself; every man 
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; 
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as 
well as a manor of thy friends or of thine 
own were; any man's death diminishes me, 
because I am involved in mankind. 
And therefore never send to know for whom 
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. 

John Donne

A good friend of mine posted on facebook last night:

Heavenly father, I grieve at the loss of one whom you miss most. May Your will be done, but I will not, I refuse, to celebrate the death of anyone at the hands of another man, no matter how vile their deeds. Let Your judgement reign, not mine. Forgive us.

I have to say that he hit on feelings I was having as well.  I have a curious mix of emotions, because i do admit to feelings of celebration at the killing of this man, we as a country have suffered greatly at his hands.  Yet I also remember that he is a demon of our own making.Billions of dollars of support to the mujaheddin and CIA sabotage training helped create the basis for al Qaeda.

I pray for our troops, who will all but certainly be the target of reprisals by his fanatical followers.  And while his death is a blow to their cause, I am sure that it will not end it.  Other leaders will be more than willing to step into his shoes, and one has to wonder just how much he had been in charge these past years anyway.  I have to think that his death now, some 10 years later is mostly symbolic, and will have no real impact on the infrastructure of his organization.

I applaud the US in disposing of his body at sea, and doing so in less than 24 hours as Islamic law dictates.  He will have no grave around which this followers can rally.

I also am glad that President Obama is at the helm for this event:  he more than anyone can help start the healing process that needs to take place now that we have achieved closure, and perhaps take some steps towards peace.

"Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, 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