If you've watched my video by now, you know exactly where I'm going with this.
I had just gotten home having thoroughly enjoyed the Extreme Rules Pay Per View. Perhaps the most pertinent thought on my mind upon opening my front door was of Christian winning the World Heavyweight Title. I was brimming with excitement that one of my favorites finally achieved his dream and was fully prepared to turn into Tony Robbins as I discussed the virtues of hard work, dedication, and doing the right thing.
Perception can often change in an instant.
Not that I lost that sense or that I suddenly don't believe in those virtues anymore, but given the information now in front of us, it seems so miniscule to talk about the world in terms of a victory in the confines of the WWE Universe. No matter how important this victory was to Christian and his "peeps", it pales in comparison to the news that came to light shortly after it.
As I'm sure you all know by now, Osama Bin Laden is dead. After 10 long years, the man who was the face of terror in many eyes can no longer open his own. His hateful heart will beat no more as perhaps fittingly, he died at the hands of the country he so loathed, the United States of America.
When I first saw it on the TV, it was pretty surreal. Much like the 9/11 attack itself, I wasn't sure whether what I was seeing was reality. Of course, the news wasn't changing, and as the president took to the podium to make the official announcement, my heart sank into the grimm reality of life and death.
I knew I was supposed to feel different, and that feeling was confirmed when I made it to my computer and saw tons of facebook statuses and tweets lauding this accomplishment and celebrating the death of this hateful man. Not that I was downplaying this accomplishment 10 years in the making, but somehow I could not get excited about it. Maybe it had to do with the Jewish belief of not rejoicing in the fall of your enemies, but I think my initial feeling came more out of fear.
Now, I am not a person that lives in fear. Hell, I'm quite the risktaker in life and I rarely let fear stop me from living it. However, the stark reality of this situation is that a man hated in America is dead, but that same man was loved by his people. This dichotemy of thought isn't changing anytime soon, or ever.
I suppose that idea is what struck me. Sixty five years ago when Adolf Hitler died, the Nazi regime died with him as America won World War 2. Perhaps it is irony that Bin Laden's death comes on the same day that Hitler was announced as dead in 1945, but this situation is quite different. While Hitler's Aryan Nation was an ideal that died with him, the hate of Western culture is not something that will die with Bin Laden. Tons of terrorist groups still exist and they may even get stronger with this man's demise. It's entirely possible that killing a man who hadn't been heard from much in the past few years will open up a can of worms and give new reason for hatred that needed no fuel.
It saddens me that this wheel of hatred is never-ending and it really hit me last night. I try to live my life without hating anybody. We can have our differences and we can decide to live one way or another, but to martyr hatred and praise the ability to end other lives is not what was meant for humanity. The United States killed a man in hopes of showing the world that it will never stand for hatred and terrorism. I sincerely hope that's a message that spreads like wildfire.
So why is this being written on a wrestling page? First and foremost, it's my website and sometimes you have to go outside the box to talk about things greater than the kayfabe world we usually live in. Secondly, I'm not sure if it was irony, fate, or just coincidence, but the Extreme Rules Pay Per View played out almost perfectly given the news at hand.
First, a man who's quest for WWE's top prize mirrors the armed forces' quest of capturing and detaining Osama Bin Laden finally climbed a ladder and pulled down that which has eluded him for over 10 years. Quite the microcosm if I've ever seen one. Then, WWE's resident military enthusiast reclaimed the company's other top spot and fittingly, he was the man that announced to the sold out crowd the news of Bin Laden's detainment. I could imagine no greater scenario than that man and his passion for our troops announcing the success of those he loves.
It's fitting that on a day where the world's good guys (in our eyes) scored a major victory, WWE's good guys almost swept the board. WWE fans learned the same thing that Americans did last night, that hard work and never giving up CAN help you to achieve our goals. Unfortunately, wrestling fans already know that even when good triumphs, there is always another evil force coming to challenge the good guys. It's a never-ending struggle, one that wrestling's good guys and the world shares. Even though it's been "cool" to root for the good guys in wrestling, I implore wrestling fans and humans alike to root for the good guys in life. Maybe one day humanity can remember the number one virtue in life:
Treat others like you would want yourself to be treated.
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