I hesitate to post this as I am sure that many will find it to be offensive because they misunderstand what I am trying to say . But here it goes anyway.
9/11/2001 is a day that none of us will ever forget. I remember exactly where I was standing and what I was doing in that moment I heard what was happening to our country. My heart ached for those that lost their lives that day and still today I pray for those who suffered the lose of family and friends on that horrific day. It seems that from that moment everyday has been filed with scenes of death. From New York to Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and now Libya. The scenes of destruction and death envelope the news and are engraved upon my mind.
Yesterday the news that so many had been waiting for (me included) finally came. Osama Bin Laden was dead. On the news it showed America in celebration, basking in revenge and ecstatic over our victory. The tears that came to my eyes wasn't for a man that caused so much suffering, it was for a man that will never know true peace, it was for our country believing that somehow we had won a victory and for a world that even in this day and age hasn't figured out how to live together in peace. It was for the thousands that have died because of this war. Sir Chinmoy wrote "The body's victory Is often The soul's tremendous loss. The soul's victory Is always The body's amazing progress". I fear that while today we celebrate victory tomorrow we will grieve in defeat because Victory and defeat are interwoven and cannot be separated. We have to learn to go beyond them. Sir Chinmoy also wrote "The victory of human love is confusing. The victory of divine love is illumining. The victory of supreme love is fulfilling. It is this supreme love that leads us from hate and war to compassion and love, it is this supreme love that leads us to grieve the death of our enemy not because they were our enemy but because we failed to make them our brothers.
William Shakespeare wrote "This miserable age. What stratagems, how fell, how butcherly, Erroneous, mutinous, and unnatural, This deadly quarrel daily doth beget ! There is no sure foundation set on blood, No certain life achieved by other's death". When I heard the news of Osama's death I thought of the movie where the sorcerer cut of the dragons head and the dragon grew 7 more and another movie where the young sorcerer made friends with the dragon and together they defeated evil. If only it were so easy.
I know that some men cannot be reasoned with and some men are motivated by things we cannot begin to understand. And I know that their death may result in the safety of many and that by their own actions and our lack of understanding we can somehow justify killing them. I also know there can be no true victory when it come at the price of war nor at taking another's life.
May peace find its way into the hearts of all sentient beings.
Hodo
