Familiar images flooded media sources yesterday as the news of Muammar Gaddafi’s death spread. My initial response: “I don’t have time for this. Between work deadlines pressing on me and my body’s seeming insistence on rest as I recover from the flu, there simply isn’t time to consider these events and then deal with the emotions they evoke in me, let alone to reflect and then post a thoughtful reflection on this blog.”
So you can see that I chose not to go with that initial response. And my reaction to the news, as you might guess, is full of conflicted feelings. I’m not a mental health expert, but it was pretty clear that something was “off” with the colonel, and for so much power to be concentrated in one person, even a perfectly sane person, is a recipe for trouble. I have been praying for an end to the terror and violence inflicted by this man and his followers on their own people for many years, and I regret that it took violence to accomplish his removal from power. Still, I must say, I am glad that this man will no longer be able to terrorize others.
It appeared to me that in the skirmish that led to Gaddafi’s death that he was injured in the first wave of the attack, and that the close range gunshot wounds to the head suggest that he may have been summarily executed after capture. It’s not for me to say what exactly happened, as it often takes time for the facts to emerge, but if he was indeed executed instead of being tried in a court of justice, it makes me wonder with some concern about what the people of Libya will be facing in its next leaders. And with the seeming easy access to high-powered combat weapons (again, my uninformed perception), I feel a need to pray that Libya will be able to make the transition to a peaceful, just society, and not fall into a state of anarchy that will provide the opportunity for a new oppressor to step in.
Yes, I understand the relief in knowing that the Gaddafi regime is finished, and that it is understandable to celebrate the freedom from this regime. Still, lots of guns plus lots of intense emotions make for a risky situation. I pray for the safety and solidarity of Libya’s people in this important and historic time the history of all of humankind.
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