Last night, the nation turned on their computers, televisions, and radios to hear news that gives all Americans reason to celebrate: Navy Seals, in a special operation, killed Osama Bin Laden, mastermind behind Al Qaeda and the horrific 9/11 terrorist attacks. In New York City, people flocked to Ground Zero and Times Square, chanting "USA"! The White House, the streets of Boston, and numerous other locations held similar scenes. For families who have lost loved ones in the 9/11 attacks or in the 10-years of war succeeding them, it seems justice has been served. No doubt the war on terror is far from over, though; the likelihood of an extreme Islamic retaliatory act is high.
However, this morning I vowed, at least for today, to truly focus on the celebratory spirit sweeping the nation; America's intelligence agencies located Osama and took him down without harm to any civilians. I know God was truly watching over these agents who carried out this act.
Yet, I was amazed today at a number of things (namely, how little my students know about the whole situation, but I'll save that for the end). I was surprised at the number of people who simply are apathetic and indifferent to the whole situation. I even heard somebody say today, "Who cares? This doesn't affect me." My impulse was to reach out and smack her on the mouth. What does she mean "it doesn't affect her?" People are risking their lives to protect her (and you and me) and she is indifferent? How sad. Elie Wiesel, famed author, Nobel Prize winner, and Holocaust survivor, claimed, "The opposite of love is not hate; it is indifference." Indifference and apathy are like poisonous weeds that spread throughout the nation, choking out the beauty and bravery of this world.
Also, I was surprised (but in a curious way) by the number of Christians who weren't so quick to cheer and chant over Bin Laden's death. Some acknowledge that while there are many verses in the Bible about defeating evil and taking down our enemies, we are also called to mourn for lost souls and not to gloat about our victories. This brief blog post by Rev. James Howell sums up many Christian's current thoughts:
http://revjameshowell.blogspot.com/2011/05/cheering-bin-ladens-fall.html
However, though I don't blame Rev. Howell for his confusion as he sorts out his emotions in the matter, I still feel that after ten years of fear, sadness, grief, and anger, why not release that negativity through chanting and cheering for our country, its leaders, and its troops?
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
Luke 10:19
No weapon forged against you shall prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
Isaiah 54:17
For the Lord your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you.
Deuteronomy 23:14
Through You, we push back our enemies; through Your name we trample our foes.
Psalm 44:5
And lastly, my life verse:
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1
Tonight, I am thanking God for this victory, but also asking for His continued protection as this may just be the beginning of a new war on terror.
On a lighter, but no less sadder note, I called out some students on their ignorance today. Two boys in my class who think they know everything (and who spend the entire class period disrupting their peers) tried to make fun of me today. While reading Julius Caesar, I decided to take a moment to tie the events of the play in with Bin Laden's death. The class was having a thoughtful discussion when a student asked me if I thought extreme Islamists would retaliate to seek retribution for Osama's death. I said that is obviously a cause for concern if Al Qaeda looks at it as if Osama was "martyred". The two boys laughed, pointed at me, and plainly said, "Uh, Mrs. Martin, you think we're dumb? Try saying "murdered" the right way. When did you get such a stupid accent?" I stared blankly at them, confused, until I realized they thought I intended to say "murdered" and not "martyred". I simply stated that I definitely meant "martyred". They just looked at me with big question marks over their heads. I looked around the room. "Does nobody in here know what it means to be martyred?" The majority of the class knew that it means to die for one's beliefs. The two boys, feeling sheepish, asked me why I didn't just say "murdered"; as I tried to explain (and they rolled their eyes and blocked me out), they never could see the difference.
I also had many students who thought Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden were the same person.
*sigh*
Continued prayer for those who lost loved ones/homes in the storms last week...
