Monday, May 2, 2011

Closure

It's early fall
There's a cloud in the New York skyline
Innocence...dragged across a yellow line
--U2

Last night, the news wires lit up w/ the news of Osama Bin Laden's death.

Am hesitant to call this 'justice' because it seems to me that true justice is something that we as humans cannot competently meter out. One reason for this is that it does not seem that we have a true sense of what justice means.

If justice escapes our understanding, then it is likely that true justice is the jurisdiction of our Creator. Precisely when God might resolve wordly issues in the name of justice also seems beyond our comprehension. It has been proposed that God's version of justice will be served on Judgment Day. If this turns out to be true, then justice seems an end-of-our-journey condition shaped by God--a condition that possesses devine finality. But how this squares with our meager understanding of temporality is certainly beyond my capacity.

I can more confidently conclude that OBL's death brings some sense of closure to those who experienced loss on the Worst Day. It can not replace what we lost almost ten years ago, but it may help us focus more on what's ahead, rather than on what we've left behind.

2 comments:

dgeorge12358 said...

There is no justice among men.
~Nicholas II

katie ford hall said...

That term justice being thrown around drives me crazy. To me, an essential component of justice is setting things right. There is no way to do that, since his death will not erase the suffering of his victims. "Justice was served" is just another irritating, meaningless platitude.

I actually don't believe in closure either, or at least closure that can come from outside of ourselves.

Me and my words... I know... it's irritating. :)

I will say, without a doubt, that our world is a better place without him in it.