We have so little time.

The all pervasive nature of modern media is well suited to this. Headlines scream at us, the surround sound attack upon our thoughts demanding attention, acceptance and outrage.

This breeds neither moderation, nor consideration. Instead we react, and react with vehemence, because the extreme nature of headline reporting engenders extremes. We have forgotten how to respond, preferring instead to pass immediate judgement with ill advised sound bites.

Public opinion flows like the tide, back and forth with monotonous regularity, between high and low, never pausing to consider the interim stages.

We have lost the ability, once so precious, to argue without rancour.

Disagreement descends quickly into personal abuse, because behind most opinions is little more than a reaction born out of an ill considered headline. We have become shallow.

The case of Osama Bin Laden illustrates this perfectly.

Whatever your position, there can be no delight taken in watching the Masses of America dancing in the streets to celebrate. Be it his death, their revenge, the ability of US special forces to undertake covert missions on foreign soil with all guns blazing like so many John Waynes, there was something rather barbaric in the behaviour of ordinary America. They had been whipped into a frenzy, and revealed for those who did not already know that they are no different from their adversaries.

Their comments, too, put one rather in mind of Churchill's comment; "to become disenchanted with democracy, all one needs is 3 minutes conversation with an ordinary voter"

There can be no right and wrong in this matter, just opinions and conclusions which are based on the principle of might is right, be that might economic or militaristic.

Yes, 9/11 was a horrific attack on America and caused the death of thousands of non combatants, but it was the only foreign attack of any significance on American soil for a very long time.

During that period, America has dropped 2 Atomic bombs on cities populated, at least in part, one presumes, by equally innocent citizens.

It has overtly effected aggressive military action in Cambodia, Vietnam, Kuwait, Iraq, Libya, Honduras, Grenada, Afghanistan and others, and god knows how many covert operations it has enacted.

These actions were all justified by a variety of reasons - none of which could be genuinely justified by a threat to domestic America, unless of course you take into account economic impacts of oil prices, trading practices etc.

I make no judgement on this - America has built itself into a position of strength and influence, and will of course use this to it's best advantage.

But from a moral perspective, it makes it hard to see why Osama is evil and America is right in all things.

Surely this is a debate clouded by shades of grey.

Then there is the debate of culture. America has exported the very worst aspects of its culture through cinema, rap music and Macdonalds. Collectively these have done more to erode our fundamental values than anything else.

Again, I make no judgement. We are as much to blame for our acceptance, our enthusiasm even for what they are selling.

But it confirms my supposition that we should be careful of presuming that the way of the strongest is necessarily the best.

To say Osama was a passionate man, who hated America, what it stood for and it's influence is his world is true.

To say that he was prepared to take extraordinary action to justify his perspective is true also.

But to say that he was right or wrong, or to say he was evil is not true - these are judgements, and in the world that we live, where individual intelligence and the desire to think for one's self has been suppressed to a bare minimum, it seems, then it is dangerous for our leaders to pass judgements as facts, for all this does is further inflame the masses.

This can never lead to resolution.

America truly believes it's unique brand of liberal democracy to be the best form of governance for the world, just as Stalin and co espoused communism as the solution. Osama Bin Laden preferred a third way, and in that he was not without support. The Moslim faith and creed are materially different from the way we live now in the west, but they are the chosen life of a huge number of people.

It is in the nature of leaders to try and convert those around them to their own way. But it is the playground bully who resorts to violence to enforce this.

We must all take a step back from this debate, and consider for a while. It is time to remember there is no right and wrong here, just opinion, and strength. There is nothing wrong with honesty, even if it has no place in the world we have created.