8.05.2005
lessons, remembrance, and hope
right now it's August 6 in Japan and this marks the 60th anniversary of the day the first atomic bomb was dropped. 60 years have passed for us to learn lessons from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, yet, nuclear proliferation continues. it is time for disarmament - not only for our future and our children's futures, but to ensure that those who perished 60 years ago did not do so in vain.
i was 9 years old when my family and i moved to Hiroshima for almost one year. we lived just a few blocks away from the Peace Park and almost right off of Heiwa Odori (Peace Boulevard). we were fortunate enough to be able to attend the ceremony at the Peace Park 16 years ago. the skies were blue, the Park was sparkling clean, and it was eerily quiet for the amount of people gathered in the Park. there were speeches i didn't understand, wreaths placed at monuments, the Flame of Peace burning steadily, bells tolling, and then doves set free.
every year at this time, i think about how lucky i was to be at that ceremony. i'm sure there are things i learned that day that i'm not yet aware of. what i do know is that i have a keychain from the Peace Park - it has an image of the Hiroshima Dome and the phrase "No More Hiroshimas" embossed on it.
Hiroshima of today has so much to offer, so many lessons to teach. the statue of Sadako that houses tens of thousands of paper cranes and the Flame of Peace both reside in the Peace Park. let's not forget why that park is there and hope that its existence will continue to serve as a reminder and warning of what happened 60 years ago.
i was 9 years old when my family and i moved to Hiroshima for almost one year. we lived just a few blocks away from the Peace Park and almost right off of Heiwa Odori (Peace Boulevard). we were fortunate enough to be able to attend the ceremony at the Peace Park 16 years ago. the skies were blue, the Park was sparkling clean, and it was eerily quiet for the amount of people gathered in the Park. there were speeches i didn't understand, wreaths placed at monuments, the Flame of Peace burning steadily, bells tolling, and then doves set free.
every year at this time, i think about how lucky i was to be at that ceremony. i'm sure there are things i learned that day that i'm not yet aware of. what i do know is that i have a keychain from the Peace Park - it has an image of the Hiroshima Dome and the phrase "No More Hiroshimas" embossed on it.
Hiroshima of today has so much to offer, so many lessons to teach. the statue of Sadako that houses tens of thousands of paper cranes and the Flame of Peace both reside in the Peace Park. let's not forget why that park is there and hope that its existence will continue to serve as a reminder and warning of what happened 60 years ago.
# posted by cheddah : 10:50 PM
