Important Life Lesson From Osama Bin Laden?
September 11, 2001, was a day that the US and in deed the rest
of the world will never forget, right? Right. Because of a man
by name Osama Bin Laden.There are two lessons I was forced to
learn from Osama and his Al Qaeda team about life and its purpose.
The first one is contained in an article I submitted to a campus
newspaper on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr., 2004.
That article was titled "The Power of One".
However, for today, I will reflect on the second lesson that
I learn from this man who represents what President Bush has
termed 'the axis of evil'. You know, the other day, I was wondering
at what could have made those men who carried out the terrorist
attack, be willing to give up their lives. Look at it this way,
these men, according to intillegence sources, spent months,
even years in training. Many of them attended higher education,
and spent countless hours traning as pilots. Yet, all the while
knowing that it was all for the purpose of committing suicide.
These men made elaborate preparations to die. That fateful
9/11, they woke up, probably bade their families farewell, and
drove off to the nation's airports to die. Now, no matter how
we feel about these men, we must give them the credit that what
they did was extraordinary. I wonder, can I ever make such elaborate
preparations, just so I could die? What force drove those me
willfully and deliberately to their graves? Some say, hatred.
May be so, but I believe it was something more than hatred.
As I pondered on this line of thought, it became clear to me
that the quest for meaning or purpose is by far a deeper need
than our desire for pleasure. For those terrorists, all Osama
had to do was make them believe that they were fighting for
Something greater, for a Cause mightier than they were. Yes,
the power of Osama lies in manipulating the innate yearning
in the heart of us all - the search for meaning. But don't wave
that off so easily. 9/11 is an ugly reminder that the will to
meaning is so deeply rooted in humans that we can easily die
for that for which we believe in.
I don't know about all the academic theories in psychology
or even philosphy, but this much I know: the Freudian philosophy
that says that the need for pleasure is the primary motivation
of human behavior, certainly fails to explain the sad event
of 9/11. It is certainly not the will to pleasure that drove
those men to sacrifice their lives, and that of thousands of
others . It was the belief that they were doing it for a purpose,
for a Cause far greater than their lives. I have heard that
their belief system says that if a person dies in a Holy War,
then he is quaranteed a special entrance into paradise.
Here is what this whole thing means to me: First, each of us,
deep in our hearts, long for meaning; to live for Something
or Someone greater than we are, and if necessary, to die for
such a person or thing. In this, I differ not from the rest
of you. I do not agree with the belief system that drove those
men to their death, but I do learn from them about the power
of purpose. As I go to bed tonight, I marvel at the effect a
single individual with an over-riding purpose, good or bad,
could have on our world. I can't help but wonder, am I committed
enough to discovering the meaning of life, at least for me,
and to giving it the best that I've got?
If any of these writings bless you, feel free to post
a comment or share a testimony with us. Others may be blessed
by your testimony or comment. And feel free to contact us anytime.
Our genuine desire is to assist you in your search for meaning
and joy.
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