Can we be better?

Just a few hours ago I heard about the death of Osama bin Laden.  For over a decade this man has been the face of terror.  One friend on Facebook commented that a "shadow just lifted."  Another posted a statement rejoicing in his death.  The news carried images of young Americans cheering and chanting in front of the White House.  The images (minus the burning US flag) were not unlike those we've seen in the streets of Iraq and Afghanistan when American soldiers are killed.  

This got me thinking about where we go from here.  With all the differences between countries and cultures we have so much in common.  At our worst we celebrate death and destruction.  At our best we rejoice in ideas and achievement.  It feels as if we've celebrated death and destruction over the last decade in our pursuit of justice.  What ideas and achievements will be pursued now that this shadow has lifted?

Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them."  Proverbs 24:17-18 NIV      

We know this isn't really the end of terror.  But it can be the beginning of a new chapter in World history.  Let's spend the next decade re-building the bridges we've burned.  Let's spend the next trillion dollars of Defence spending to reconstruct the lives and places that were destroyed in our pursuit of justice.  Let's continue our pursuit of justice, but with wisdom and humility, otherwise are we any better than our enemy?  Let's strive, not to be better than others, but to be better than ourselves.  

I understand why there's dancing in the street.  But it just doesn't feel right.  We can be better. We need to be better.