Shame

I must admit that I felt ashamed and disgusted today. A son, brother and father died and all over the world people celebrate this death.

Yes, he was the leader of one of the most violent and despised organisations of the last 70 years. Yes, he was a thorn in our side, the bane of our existence. Under his command and in his name, thousands of people were assassinated. Such acts should be abhorred!

We should never forget all the people who gave their lives willingly and unwillingly in this guerilla war.  The killing of Usama bin Laden, should be seen as a legitimate act of war, a consequence of the choices he's made.

Just as it was uncalled for when some people around the world celebrated our casualties, it is uncalled for for us to celebrate his death. I feel that any and all deaths should make us pause and meditate on the loss of a life. By shamelessly celebrating a death, any death, we show our lack of respect for creation. And we show that we are not much better than those we oppose.

We should celebrate, yes. Let us celebrate that so many people have not died in vain. Let us celebrate that yet another terrorist organisation has been disrupted, at least for a while. Let us celebrate with dignity. Let us celebrate that JUSTICE has been served. Let us NOT rejoice in revenge. For revenge is not ours to take1.  If you are not led by Christian values, at least let yourself be guided by the Declaration of Human Rights2 and the Geneva convention3. We should measure ourselves, not by how we treat our friends, but by how we treat our enemies.

This coming May fourth at 20:00 CET, the Netherlands will hold 2 minute silence for all who died in the different wars. No matter where you live, I want to ask you to take just two minutes out of your day and give thanks for all who have fought and given their lives for JUSTICE, PEACE and FREEDOM.