Osama bin Laden Is Dead

So he is dead. Good riddance. Personally, I would rather have seen him arrested, tried, convicted, and imprisoned. But given how much we have compromised our own justice system upon the altar of security, it may not have been a very meaningful trial.

It remains to be seen whether this so-called 'significant achievement' in the war on terror will alter U.S. foreign policy or military operations. I have my doubts.

In the meantime, let us recall that Osama bin Laden did not consider himself a wicked or evil man. He was utterly convinced of his own righteousness. In that light, one can see that unquestioned beliefs and absolutism are poisonous to humanity. Eschew belief and shun certainty; rather, seek knowledge and embrace uncertainty.

May the victims of this terror war rest in peace, and may their survivors find the strength and hope and healing to carry on.

Update: this essay captures much of my ambivalence about the occasion of OBL's death.

Update 2021: on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, these two essays continue the theme.