Card-carrying Member of the 9/11 Generation

"Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true."

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

On May 2, Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was killed. It was announced to the world, and Americans everywhere felt a since of relief and peace. People celebrated in the streets and gathered at ground zero. Initially, I jumped right into the mainstream celebration, but after the dust settled and I was left with my own emotions, something about it didn't quite feel right and I didn't exactly know why.

This was a man responsible for killing so many Americans. His extreme beliefs have not only led to the death of my fellow countrymen but even his own as he convinced his followers to die as martyrs, while he lived as a coward in a cave.

Along with millions of other Americans, I will never forget where I was when I heard about the 9/11 attacks. As a sophomore in high school, I was too wrapped up in petty teenage drama to even know what a terrorist was. I didn't know how serious it was, I didn't know about the history of al-Qaeda and the U.S., and I definitely never would have predicted the ensuing battle that would take place over the next ten years.

I am a part of the 9/11 generation, one of many who have words like terrorist, al-Qaeda, Muslim extremist, Afghanistan, World Trade Center, Taliban and many more permanently embedded in my lexicon. Over the last ten years, I have watched and read the news, caving to the agenda-setting function set forth by American journalists. I don't agree with the actions taken by bin Laden, and in fact, I'm completely against it--I know it's wrong and that he should be stopped and punished for his wrongdoings. After all, that is justice, a justice that I firmly believe in. Yet, his murder does not seem right either.

In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., "Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Hate cannot drive out hate--only love can do that." The words of this respected man, who also died as a martyr, ring true as we are being told by al-Qaeda that "[They] will remain, God willing, a curse chasing the Americans and their agents, following them outside and inside their countries. Soon, God willing, their happiness will turn to sadness. Their blood will be mingled with their tears."

As much anger as I have towards this killer, I still feel sorry for him. He appeared wise, but he was ignorant in so many ways.

I'm not a tree-hugging radical or anything. I know that his death was inevitable and somewhat necessary, but I'm also a simple-minded girl who truly believes in the healing powers of forgiveness and love. I don't have all the answers, I don't know what could have or should have been done--I'm just confused and unwilling to accept a violent death as recompense for a war on terrorism. In my opinion, this won't put a stop to anything, it will only work to feed fuel to the flames.

Side note: Sorry for the lack of pictures, but how do you match an image with this?

Something Happened...

When you're a child, time seems to...to...well, take it's time. It's slower, less ambitious. As you get older, time goes by more quickly, and before you know it you're all grown up and sometimes time appears to be nonexistent as you try to recall where the time has "flown."

I'm 25 now, but I still tell people that I feel like I'm 15. Not mentally or even physically, I guess I just thought when I was finally an "adult" that I would have a commpletely different mindset...and I don't.

Sure, I have matured and learned many things about myself and the world I live in, but I'm basically still the same person that was born 25 years, 6 months and 13 days ago. Obviously, I have come to believe that nature definitely outweighs nurture.

I'm married, I have a master's degree and a good career, we own our home, blah blah blah...so I know I should feel like a grown-up. But on a day-to-day basis when I'm swimming my way through the motions of life just striving to keep my head above water, I forget that society considers me all grown up. That is, until this morning when something happened...

I'm covering a story for my local paper tonight and I had to call the local high school to get some background information on the event. Lo and behold, who do you think answered the phone? Well, it's none other than my college roommate, S, from sophomore year. I knew that she worked there and we still vaguely keep in touch within the social media realm, but I never imagined we would have crossed paths through our careers. We used to talk about boys and homework, not facts and percentages.

As I hung up the phone, I realized once and for all that I really am all grown up. I felt like it was a conversation I should be having 20 years from now, not today!

There's no going back now, no more clinging to those braided tresses from my youth. I guess all there is to say is here's to the future, to my grown-up life.

Why Animals Are So Awesome!

My dog, Scout, is pretty awesome. I know everyone says that about their dog, but mine really is the greatest :)

Case and point:

On Easter, my mother-in-law's next door neighbor has a little girl who decided to bring her new guinea pig over to "show." I happen to look outside and my niece is frantically pointing to the woods, and I see Scout jumping into the woods. I walk to the door and hear her yelling "The guinea pig! The guinea pig!" and the little girl is standing with an empty container crying "My other one died." The hubby and I run outside assuming the worst. I'm thinking my dog has taken this poor little girl's new Easter pet and gobbled it up...my dog is about to emerge from these woods with a bloody massacre all over her mouth...how will I ever make it up to this little girl?

But lo and behold, Scout emerges from the woods, guinea pig in-tow, and offers the pet back to the child. After a close look, it is obvious that nothing is wrong with the little fur ball. And I inquire with my niece about what happened.

She explains that when the little girl brought the guinea pig over it jumped out of the container and ran into the woods. Scout quickly went after it and brought it back to the little girl. The pet then leaped from the little girl's arms again and headed for the woods. Scout once again jumped into the woods and brought the pet back to its owner. My niece said that Scout very gently handed over the pet not just once, but twice!

This story makes me think of two things: first, what the heck is that little girl doing to that poor guinea pig to make it so persistent in running away? and I am so inspired by the nurturing and intellectual capabilities that animals truly have.

I love my puppy :)