The world is safer, a better place today. That is what we are being told.
The death of Osama Bin Laden is dominating the web, with Twitter (with a user tweeting about the raid as it happened), news networks and Facebook all lighting up with celebratory noises. And yet I find it hard to be happy that a person, however abhorrent, however horrible, has lost his life. I don’t want to write about the events – you can read about them in any number of other places. It is a day that will go down in history.
Yet, when the dust settles on this, like all news, life carries on. The world keeps turning, the sun rises and sets. There may be others out there who carry on his ideals, who try to alter world views through violence or other means, but for most of us things are as normal. It makes no difference to the ongoing conflicts in the world. It can’t bring back those people who have died at his request, it won’t stop people hating the west.
Last week, our country was fixated by two people, both around my age, joining their lives together in a marriage. To me, it didn’t matter they were part of the monarchy, they are just people. I found the whole thing far too intrusive and didn’t want to be any part of it. I didn’t watch the wedding at all – not because I don’t believe in the Royal family or anything like that (I actually think they are a huge part of what makes this country a special one to live in) – but more because I didn’t see why I should be interested in people I am unlikely to meet. I still wish them well but don’t see a need to display these wishes publicly with thousands of others.
The same level of threat applies now as it did before. Life goes on, live it to your fullest, whatever you do.
