Dr. Goldstein:

Thank you for articulating something similar to my own reaction to the death of Osama Bin Laden. To rejoice in the death of another just didn’t sit right with me either. I felt the same way when hearing of the NATO strike on Gaddafi’s family, killing his son and three of his grandsons. Yes, there are people in the world who are considered by many to be extremely evil, but to celebrate their deaths somehow makes us more like them rather than less.

LOVED this so much, such beautiful words and wisdom.

“May we all be free from our misguided reactions to the wars within and help guide all people into a direction of greater empathy, compassion, and peace within ourselves and the world.”

As long as we have something to distract us and help us to project our fears and insecurities out into the world, onto someone else’s behavior, we do not have to face our own undesirable qualities. We all have wars raging on inside of us and we’ve created a wonderful system of avoiding them, work, money, celebrities, sports, so many things to distract us from ourselves.

I’m so pleased that more and more of us are waking up, healing, and sharing ourselves and our experiences with each other. What you focus on expands!

Thank you for this post, Dr. Goldstein. When I heard of bin Laden’s death, I felt hollow, uncertain how I felt. Watching people celebrate felt so wrong. When my husband and I sat down for supper last night, he said he felt the same, “that it was a human life,” and celebrating his death felt wrong, too. I almost wished he could have been captured alive, to be brought to trial, but the problems associated with that would have been horrific, I think.

This is a time to reflect, more than celebrate. There is evil in the world, but as you said, we are all connected, whether we realize it or not. I’m glad he’s gone, but executions, however neessary or unavoidable, shouldn’t be celebrated like it’s a sporting event.

I remember when 9-11 happen and world went to war (yes, other nations were involved too, although American media hardly ever mention it. After all, article 5 of NATO charter *was* invoked and over here, in central Europe we took it that *we* are in war). Being members of NATO for just few years, the central European countries probably wanted to prove themselves… and yes, even in 21st century humans still glamorize war. In midst of hawkish and almost bellicose atmosphere, article titled “When going to war, don’t smile” appeared. It talked about how killing terrorists will mean simply dead terrorists and not end of the terrorism, how this war will drag on and it will not be a war to end all wars.

well, ten years later, we still are fighting this war. There had been several other terrorist attacks around the world. Other bad things happen. Bin Laden’s death won’t change anything about it. It will not bring the dead back. It will not restore distorted West-Middle Easts relations. It will not fix the economy. It will not save Middle east from imploding. In the end, it does not really matter. Yes, we did “score” and I applaud those that done it. But it does not matter in the larger scale. Laden did not matter since 2003. There is no need to celebrate and dance on corpses. We like to claim to be better than them… we should act like it. Yes, he was an evil man, but now he is dead… it’s up to “higher authorities” to judge.

I was mindful of how crowds were reacting as well as my own reaction. But grief is very personal and with any expression of emotions you have to wonder who is experiencing catharsis and true processing versus repression or other defense mechanisms. Truth is we can only control ourselves and what we feel is as genuine and relevant as anyone elses experience. As a Humanist I am saddened that a human life has been taken. But I am also somehow satisfied. And I experience no guilt as a result. Call it empathy for the victims and their families, call it bloodthirstiness, either way you are judging me, and that is YOUR problem, not mine. And although as mental health professionals I feel we are called upon to comment on social issues, I believe we should avoid judgement of the reactions.

Osama Bin Laden’s death was a symbolic thing, he was the face of terrorism. People aren’t celebrating the fact that he lost his life as much as that this is a big victory for the west against Al Qaeda ect.

Please allow me to add one more brief comment.

I just read in the NY Times (www.nytimes.com) that Bin Laden’s daughter watched the raid and supposedly the murder. Can you even begin to imagine how this was for his daughter?? Although he was an “evil” presence in the world, his daughter lost her father, a niece lost her uncle, etc. This is terrible to rejoice over!!

If a group of people in another country rejoiced over the death of one of our presidents, I’m sure we would not like that and there would be some type of consequences. We have to consider how we treat another human being.

I’m glad to see that most of you agree with this.

I think it’s really pretentious for people to sit on their comfy sofa feeling so morally superior to those evil folks cheering at Ground Zero, particularly since many of them experienced what most of us didn’t. If the firefighters want to flash the lights on their trucks and celebrate, there is not a single person here who has the right to tell them how they should feel. I didn’t smell it for months, like my sister did. I didn’t see the ash in the air and know I’m looking at the remains of human beings. I didn’t see the towers come down right in front of me and not know where to run to. I didn’t see the firefighter with his head in his hands sobbing on the subway. I didn’t have to panic for months afterwards when the train stopped and I wondered if it was my day to die. I was certainly affected by the events of September 11th, but not in the same way as those who lived it and breathed it.

It’s always much easier to be philosophical when it’s not your family who died. When people here have walked in the shoes of those who have lived it, then these “I’m so above it all” opinions might matter more. I can’t say how I would have reacted had my sister died that day – I might have been cheering Osama’s death at Ground Zero, too.

Of course Osama’s death doesn’t solve the terrorism problem, but it is a symbol. It has brought some victims a tiny measure of justice. Don’t rob them of that.

I saw several posts elsewhere that provided the source for the MLK quote. He DID say all except the first sentence of the quote that has been attributed to him:

“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. 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” (King, 1981, p. 53)

King, M. L. J. (1981). Strength to love. New York Walker And Co. (original text, 1963; this pagination from the 1981 edition, which can be viewed on Google books)

Dr. T:

Although I agree that we should be mindful of how this effects OBLs daughter, I take issue with your statement that he was murdered. At no time during this raid did our SEALs commit a volitional act to end someones life. They were searching for a true murderer. Please do not disgrace our soldiers with such a label.

@Aaron Stroud it WAS MURDER whether we like the fact or not, he was not armed he had no defence they where ordered to KILL. Murder, assassination however you put it, it all comes back to the same thing.

thank your for your gracefull and heart felt words Dr Goldstien i had exactly all the same thoughts as you did on monday and when i posted this on my FB i was shot down so very cruely that its nice to have some validation to my thought, its scares me what the human race is becoming and i feel sorry for my child growing up in such a destructive hypocritical world

Thank God we live in a country where we can disagree, respectfully. Saeed, I’m sorry you see things that way. Perhaps you are also gullible?

He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone…

Murder: The unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another.
Verb: Kill (someone) unlawfully and with premeditation.

Theres no real way to prove that our SEALs went in there to kill him. We can only take their words for it and for me, that’s enough. OBL admitted to planning 911. Case closed.

SO you do not rejoice … well neither do I – but only at the loss of a Human Life …

HOWEVER I DO rejoice at the thought of those saved from this source of EVIl who wold have CONTINUED to foster, cause and ferment the deaths of many others Muslim and Non- muslim alike.

Those like him who have decided that they have the right to kill those that do not match their definition of how to live have determined their own fate … it they that chose this path not the USA or even the muslim religion.

As a declared enemy of the USA and freedom … killing has nothing to do with right or wrong … it is simply justified … and NECESSARY!

To assume that your piety at the loss of life is the only value … is the height of arrogance ….

So we let God judge him … we merely arranged the meeting (with GOD) … as fate eventually will with any terrorist that threatens human freedom everywhere

Thanks so much for posting this. I’ve been trying to find the words to say what you’ve so eloquently said. I found out about Osama Bin Laden’s death while flying home to the States from Costa Rica. Before take-off, the flight attendant annnounced, “Osama Bin Laden is dead, but if there’s anything else we can do to make your flight more comfortable, please let us know.” I watched the news on the in-fligh TV, and saw the same scene of people cheering in the streets. Something aobut it just didn’t feel right. As a followr of Christ, I can imagine that this is how Christ would react. Thanks again for sharing this!