One for many

Honestly, we don't need more comments on Osama Bin Ladin's death. I have so little to say that would benefit anyone. I would quite happily not comment at all. But it does strike me - that in the quotes that are being tossed around about this event, I'm hearing a number of comments that either sound like, or refute, something along these lines:

"You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish."

Do you know where that's from? It's not from a US foreign policy speech. Nor is it from some weighty tome on terror and counter-terror strategies. It isn't from the political right. It isn't even from the political left.

It's from the Bible - and it didn't refer to Osama Bin Ladin, or to anyone like him. It referred to Jesus Christ, the one man who died so that many could be saved.

In all the chatter and fuss over Bin Ladin's death, I hope that we can take a moment to think about another death - one far more significant, one with ethical implications that are utterly wonderful for all people, for all cultures, in all situations. It needs no political theorists to critique it. It needs no article by Noam Chomsky, or a counter-article by a retired president of the USA. It cannot be deconstructed and cannot be avoided. It is real, and it is life-changing and it demands more than a comment or a blogpost. It demands our life, our all.