“Rest in peace, for the mistake shall not be repeated”
…is the inscription on a stone coffin beneath the Cenotaph in the Hiroshima Peace Park.
At 11:02 on August 9th 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped over Nagasaki, only 3 days after the first atomic bomb was used against Hiroshima.
The A-bomb did not simply injure masses of people and destroy buildings. It destroyed all the living and the community of the living. The experience Hiroshima and Nagasaki underwent is not confined to damage by war. It represents genocide, the obliteration of the society, and devastation of the environment.
Every year, a 3-day Peace Relay beginning in Hiroshima on August 6th and ending in Nagasaki is held to commemorate the dropping of the A-bombs. Crowds gather at the Peace Park in Nagasaki to hold devotions, to pray for world peace.
Japan is a very peaceful nation, thanks in large part to Article nine of the Japanese constitution which prohibits all warfare except in defense. I wonder what the world would be like if more countries abided by this same law…
Today, in the middle of the summer holidays, all students and teachers come to school. An assembly is held during which a moment of silence is observed at 11:02 while sirens blare all across the city. We all sit on the floor in the above 34C gym while the keynote speaker, a 60-year old retired junior high school teacher, tearfully recounts what it was like being a young man when the bomb exploded.
I couldn’t understand everything that he said, but many parts of his talk went like this: “you know the street where Amu plaza is? Well..from that point up till the new … there was nothing standing…. As I was walking, I came across a young girl who had something in her mouth, maybe she was trying to speak. She raised her hands, and (something about her fingers.)…”.
No one wins in a war…everyone suffers. I couldn’t help but think about how similar atrocities are happening around the world right now.
David arrived back in Canada today after having spent one year serving at the Baha’i World Center in Haifa, Israel. I’m sure you have many stories to tell about what the last month was like….I’m just happy that you made it back safe and sound, little bro!!!
"We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors ...but they all have to learn to live in the same box."
At 11:02 on August 9th 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped over Nagasaki, only 3 days after the first atomic bomb was used against Hiroshima.
The A-bomb did not simply injure masses of people and destroy buildings. It destroyed all the living and the community of the living. The experience Hiroshima and Nagasaki underwent is not confined to damage by war. It represents genocide, the obliteration of the society, and devastation of the environment.
Every year, a 3-day Peace Relay beginning in Hiroshima on August 6th and ending in Nagasaki is held to commemorate the dropping of the A-bombs. Crowds gather at the Peace Park in Nagasaki to hold devotions, to pray for world peace.
Japan is a very peaceful nation, thanks in large part to Article nine of the Japanese constitution which prohibits all warfare except in defense. I wonder what the world would be like if more countries abided by this same law…
Today, in the middle of the summer holidays, all students and teachers come to school. An assembly is held during which a moment of silence is observed at 11:02 while sirens blare all across the city. We all sit on the floor in the above 34C gym while the keynote speaker, a 60-year old retired junior high school teacher, tearfully recounts what it was like being a young man when the bomb exploded.
I couldn’t understand everything that he said, but many parts of his talk went like this: “you know the street where Amu plaza is? Well..from that point up till the new … there was nothing standing…. As I was walking, I came across a young girl who had something in her mouth, maybe she was trying to speak. She raised her hands, and (something about her fingers.)…”.
No one wins in a war…everyone suffers. I couldn’t help but think about how similar atrocities are happening around the world right now.
David arrived back in Canada today after having spent one year serving at the Baha’i World Center in Haifa, Israel. I’m sure you have many stories to tell about what the last month was like….I’m just happy that you made it back safe and sound, little bro!!!
"We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors ...but they all have to learn to live in the same box."
posted by Meeshe at 7:05 AM
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