Monday, May 2, 2011

Osama Bin Laden is Dead!

Every American who was alive when the towers fell remembers it vividly.  I have trouble remembering almost everything, but that moment is engraved in my mind.  We had just bought my Jeep, and I needed to take it back to the dealership for something.  John and I got up early that morning and heard the news in the car on the way to the dealership.  After we dropped off the car we went to breakfast at a local Greek restaurant.  They had a tv on in the corner, and every single person was glued to it.  As we watched the tragedy I remember being shocked by the stillness in that restaurant.  There were 50+ people in the place, and yet no one spoke. 

I was pregnant at the time with Curly Q.  As I watched I feared what kind of world I was bringing a child into.  Even though it was not rational to take it this far I feared that it could be the beginning of the end.  On the outside I was the voice of reason reminding people that around the world there are many people who live with much more severe daily threats than we were experiencing, but inside I felt my own naivety crumbling.  Over all,  I think it is a good thing to look at the world with open eyes, but the transformation was so abrupt!   Very shortly I started to have difficulties with my pregnancy.  I was put on bedrest and eventually Curly Q. came 2 months early.  I often wonder whether the stress of 9-11 contributed to it.  Maybe it had nothing to do with it, but I have heard that there was a spike in the number of premature births after 9-11. 

The experience still affects me emotionally.  Just writing about it brings tears to my eyes.  It's hard to believe that it can still feel so raw nearly 10 years later.  I do think the timing in my life made it more stressful for me.  Becoming a parent seems like a right of passage that catapults us from self centered kids into responsible adults, and who wanted to be the responsible ones in that situation.

So I am glad to hear that the threat from Osama Bin Laden is gone.  He was not only responsible for the World Trade Center, but also many more atrocities across the globe.  He continued to spout bigotry and bring hate into the world because of his own small mindedness.  So I think it is ok to be glad he is dead, but I worry about just how excited some people are. 

I firmly believe that when you put negative energy out into the world, you get it back.  Does celebrating the death of someone constitute negative energy.  The comments about how people hope he suffered, and the things people are saying to do with his body are definitely negative energy.  I worry in a somewhat spiritual sense what that is doing to them, but I worry more in a physical sense what their behavior is doing for our reputation in the world.  We already have a PR problem.  Many people around the world think Americans are crass and barbaric.  Will our behavior after Bin Laden's death prove them right or can we rise above it.  Can we celebrate the hard work of our soldiers without coming across as savagely cruel.  Can we be happy for those who have been saved from his tyranny and still keep our humanity?  I'd like to think so...

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