By Tony Tan
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“Justice has been done,” President Barack Obama declared in a speech late into the night of May 1, 2011. Obama was referring to the death of Osama Bin Laden, an infamous symbol of terrorism who spearheaded the much-feared organization Al Qaeda that organized several attacks against the United States, such as 9/11. On that fateful day, a team of American operatives raided a complex in Pakistan where Bin Laden was thought to be hiding, concluding with a brief confrontation in which Bin Laden was shot dead.

This news brought forth a surge of celebration across the United States, according to an article published that night in The New York Times. Reportedly, in Times Square, shouts of “U.S.A., U.S.A.!” rang out. The streets of New York City were filled with verses from “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Before the White House, people cheered while waving U.S. flags. Many Americans reveled at the death of Bin Laden, rejoicing the demise of the “Public Enemy Number One” as named by former president Bill Clinton. But we have to ask ourselves: Are we justified to do so?

The debate over this matter has already been introduced to the public, as the topic spreads like wildfire across blogs, forums and other publications. Most commonly, one side argues against this celebration with the conviction that delight in the death of what we regard to be an evil makes us evil ourselves. These people said they have become horrified at what the meaning of Bin Laden’s death has come to be.

According to social scientists, our celebration of revenge is normal, coherent with human nature. If one understands the pain of scars borne by those people with a relationship to the victims of 9/11, one can easily feel the patriotism and sense of some kind of a denouement to a reign of terror under which they have been subject to.

Personally, I believe there is a line between human nature and outright jingoism. Although we might not have crossed that line yet, to do so would make us no less of the “bad guys” than Bin Laden himself. People as indirectly linked to terror victims as simply sharing nationalities or a status as potential targets of terrorism can share this joy. They only deserve that moment of satisfaction and comfort we know as revenge. But there will be a time when enough is enough. That time will come sooner for some than others; nevertheless, we should be careful not to cross the line.

After all, Bin Laden isn’t the end. In fact, the death of Bin Laden does in no manner mean that the war on terror is over, and we have emerged victorious. Terrorism doesn’t stop here. But we’re well on our way to curb it.

It’s alright to celebrate. Just don’t take it too far, as we all know from a famous quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi: “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”