Sunday, May 1 2011 – Mets 2, Phillies 1, Osama Bin Laden 0
I fell asleep somewhere in the 11th inning. Kate and I had de-camped from the living room and decided to watch the rest of the game from the warmth and comfort of our bed, which of course made nodding off far more conducive than having stayed on the couch. Up until the point where I lost consciousness it had been a typical Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN affair, though with a much improved announcer lineup. I was one of the legions of people that Joe Morgan bugged the bejesus out of. And the other guy was no help either. At least the new guys let Orel Herscheiser speak now and again, and even finish his sentences.
Under different circumstances and at a more crucial point in the season, I would have gladly stayed up for an extra innings battle with the Phillies, but being that it was barely May and the season already heading for train wreck status, I was ok with catching a few extra winks. It’s not like I was going to miss anything big.
I’ll admit it, like most humans I share the morbid fascination with Breaking News, and so I was more than a little disappointed to awake the next morning and discover that I had missed it. Especially such a dramatic presentation. A sudden late-night announcement of a presidential address with little to no information as to the subject at hand. The 30 minute wait for him to speak. The false starts. And then finally, the news many had been waiting a decade for. All very good television and definitely an excellent, “Where were you when….” historical set piece.
A lot of people around baseball were quick to draw comparisons between the Mets/Braves game of 2001 (the first sporting event in NYC following 9/11) and that the news of Bin Laden’s death breaking during a nationally televised Mets/Phillies game ten years later. Bobby Valentine surely felt it keenly, having been the Mets’ manager in Game 1 and the ESPN announcer in Game 2. Personally, I don’t give it much stock beyond the eerie coincidence factor, but it is an interesting parallel for sure.
Bin Laden’s death brought with it a surge of emotion and discussion, much of it positive, but as with all things a darker edge as well. I saw it as justice done. I have no issues with the targeted killings of terrorists and their leaders. In fact, my real wish was that this had happened ten years ago as it may have averted two incredibly costly wars that have brought about the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people on both sides. I believe that this operation demonstrated the most effective way to fight terrorism, seek and destroy. Occupations of nations have the opposite effect, breeding even deeper mistrust and dissent. Eliminating threats while not harming the general populace is a win-win for all involved.
Bin Laden is dead. And he deserved to be. But much like in the days that followed 9/11 we have an opportunity. We can move past this cycle of death and destruction and open our eyes. If we did we might see that we’re both people with different cultures, and that those cultures share keystones. Though I do not have high hopes for this. In fact, the reaction of many was to place their heads firmly back into the metaphorical sand now that the man responsible for 9/11 had been eliminated. The illusion of safety had once again returned. But Bin Laden was really nothing more than a symbol, and symbols, while powerful, are only as powerful as we make them. The Boogeyman is dead. Long live the Boogeyman.
As an American and New Yorker (though not a resident of NYC in 2001) I certainly share in the somewhat barbaric delight of seeing Bin Laden take two in the head. But I also felt a lot of dismay at the celebrations taking place both in the city and our nation’s capital. There was something far too similar about these celebrations and the ones that took place on the streets of several Middle Eastern countries on 9/12. Ignorance is perhaps the most dangerous quality of the human condition. Anger can be controlled, but ignorance is sometimes impossible to overcome, and has historically led to violence on an unfathomable scale. As long as we as a single race of human beings refuse to accept that basic fact that joins us all and continue to massacre one another over differences no more trivial than whether Star Trek is superior to Star Wars (it is by the way), I fear that we have already lost.
And I say this as someone who believes strongly in the freedom of speech and religion. The practice of religion and worship is not an entitlement for murder, no matter which side you are on. In fact, it is the ultimate perversion of any faith, yet all are guilty of it. It is what has led me to distance myself from religion, yet I remain someone who considers himself a man of faith. I have beliefs and I adhere to philosophies, but the dogmatic constraints of organized religion have always turned me away. And though I have tried many times, I remain at odds as ever.
Thankfully, for every fanatic there are many more peaceful followers. My mother and father-in-law have always been exceptional role models in my personal life as dedicated followers of religion who would never use it to harm anyone or even bother them with it. They are deeply faithful people and their church is a major part of their lives, and yet I have never once felt uncomfortable discussing it with them and they have never made me feel inadequate for my own doubting nature. I married their only daughter and gave them their first grandchild and they have never pressured us in any way to follow in their path. In fact, my relationship with them has allowed me to explore my own beliefs more than I might have otherwise.
If the world was filled with more people like them, it would surely be a better place. And the truth is, it already is. I firmly believe that the overwhelming majority of people are good. Even the assholes among us don’t actually harm anyone. Yet evil is powerful and the actions of a very few can overwhelm us all. We need to remind ourselves of this, and we need to realize that no matter what weapons (physical and figurative) that they possess – they are ultimately powerless against the tidal wave of true humanity that the rest of us represent. Like the prophet Jim Morrison once said, “They got the guns baby, but we got the numbers.”
I apologize in advance if anyone is offended by this post. I tend to stick to the wisdom of the great Charles Schulz in these matters – “There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: Religion, Politics, and the Great Pumpkin.” – but this was one of those times where I just had a lot on my mind.
That said, I warned everyone when I started this journal that it would be precisely that and that it would be mine. I am nothing if not consistent.
