Why I’m not happy about Bin Laden being caught

I read about Bin Laden’s death this morning on my BBC RSS feed. It was 7:30 am and I had just arrived at work. I cracked a smile for about 5 seconds, but then felt a shallow tristesse.

I didn’t understand it. This should be the final end of one of my birth countries greatest struggles. Ever since the tragedy of September 11, I’ve been rather obsessed with the search for Bin Laden, the attacks, the investigations, wars, trials and prisons. Now that the brains behind it all is finally dead, this preoccupation should be lifted off of me. But, it’s not.

I know that a part of this melancholy is because I’ve always found it hard to celebrate death. No matter if it was Ted Bundy being executed when I lived in Florida or Saddam Hussein or now Bin Laden, it never really solves anything. It just moves it on to another generation or another nut case. Even worse with someone like Bin Laden. Surely, his image will live on in thousands of websites encouraging more jihad.

Moreover though, is the price that we’ve paid. I just looked at the casualties and cost of the wars for the first time in a few months: over 6000 dead and $1.18 trillion dollars. Not to mention the thousands of injured.

Also, just how distorted everything became over the decade. I’m not talking just about politics, but it seems like so many things in life have been overshadowed. It feels like life hasn’t quite been the same sense and it won’t be again now.

Note: I originally wrote this in 2011 and never posted it because I thought, “That’s too politically extreme”.