Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction....The chain reaction of evil--hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars--must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation. - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength To Love, 1963.When given the choice between villains and heroes, heroes are always the better teachers.
Osama bin Laden is dead and everyone is reacting differently. He was the leader of the terrorist group al Qaeda, which planned the 9/11 attacks, and he’s been on the FBI most wanted list since 1999. He has been the leader of several attacks around the world, targeting U.S. embassies and naval ships. He was an Islamic extremist who carried a deep hatred for the United States. U.S. Naval seals in Pakistan killed him in his compound.
“The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al Qaeda,” said President Barack Obama, when he announced the raid on Sunday night. People all around the country are feeling relief, joy, caution, doubt, and regret.
Some students are divided on their feelings about this historic event. Some agree with former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who said, “Welcome to hell, bin Laden.” Others feel guilty for celebrating the death of another human. Still, others found the event as a time to make jokes.
So how should we feel? We should be relieved that such a violent man cannot hurt future generations. But we should also be sensitive about the jokes we make. Many American students don’t feel that his death is a big deal because he didn’t affect our lives directly. Now that he is dead, he can no longer be the propaganda figurehead of al Qaeda. We should be relieved, but also remember that al Qaeda is still alive and we should not let our guard down, as retaliation is possible.
“The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al Qaeda,” said President Barack Obama, when he announced the raid on Sunday night. People all around the country are feeling relief, joy, caution, doubt, and regret.
Some students are divided on their feelings about this historic event. Some agree with former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who said, “Welcome to hell, bin Laden.” Others feel guilty for celebrating the death of another human. Still, others found the event as a time to make jokes.
So how should we feel? We should be relieved that such a violent man cannot hurt future generations. But we should also be sensitive about the jokes we make. Many American students don’t feel that his death is a big deal because he didn’t affect our lives directly. Now that he is dead, he can no longer be the propaganda figurehead of al Qaeda. We should be relieved, but also remember that al Qaeda is still alive and we should not let our guard down, as retaliation is possible.
Most importantly, though, let us remember what Dr. King said, "Hate multiplies hate."
-The Bear Facts Staff
