Though the death of Moammar Gadhafi ended the reign of terror in Libya, it sparked a new controversy. When Gadhafi was killed several videos surfaced showing the disgraced former leader of Libya in his final moments. The videos, portraying a bloodied and beaten Gadhafi among screaming, victorious rebels, sparked a debate throughout the rest of the world. Many argued that the videos, those who watched them, and the reactions of those in them celebrated the death of a man, and that this was morally wrong. Yes, there were likely some who did celebrate solely the death of Gadhafi, but whether this is right or wrong is an entirely different debate altogether.

I think these videos were so widely shown because they symbolized both an end to the destruction and fear that Gadhafi caused and the beginning of a new age for Libya, an age of freedom. It is not wrong to celebrate these accomplishments. Our country was founded upon the value of freedom and, though many died in the Revolutionary War, we cheered not for their deaths, but for what we had gained. The Gadhafi videos do more than just show the death of a man. They stand for the beginning of an age of freedom that the Libyans have spent months, and years, fighting for.

There is nothing wrong with this. To celebrate something with such significance and meaning as the gaining of freedom is simply the right thing to do. It would be strange if it were not celebrated. To have the giant burden of death and oppression that was Moammar Gadhafi gone is an event that Libyans will recall years and years from now. Those tapes showed the beginning of a new era, an era of prosperity and peace that the Libyans have fought so hard to gain.

Gadhafi’s death was celebrated because of what it ended and what it started, not because it was simply the death of a man. I’m sure most Libyans and most people who celebrated would have been perfectly happy if Gadhafi was captured. Though that was not what happened, the videos gave all who were involved and cared closure. Despite the fact that Gadhafi had not had any real power in months, the war was still being waged. Gadhafi’s death was the conclusion that the people had been awaiting. In some cases the ending, no matter the conclusion, is what brings people the most peace. Just knowing that their ordeal is over brings relief. Thankfully, in the case of the Libyan people, they received the ending they hoped for.

It is absurd to seriously think that the Libyans would celebrate purely the death of a man. That would be to think that Gadhafi’s death was all that was fought for, and that the liberty gained was not the goal. This would be an insult to the people of Libya. It must be recognized that the goal of Gadhafi’s death was peace and freedom and that the video only demonstrated this. That is what was celebrated and that is what the Libyans, as well as everybody else in the world, should remember about this historic event.