This weekend people around the world are commemorating the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The historical importance of these anniversaries is of special significance because we must maintain the collective consciousness of the bombings or humankind is certainly doomed to the consequences of continuing as slaves to the myth of the necessity of nuclear weapons for our protection. Of special standing in the telling of this history are the Hibakusha, the survivors of the atomic bombings. Some have told their stories to be recorded to share with future generations, while some have yet to do so. As the Hibakusha […]
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Remembering the Atomic Bomb Victims of Hiroshima, Japan
August 6, 2020 On this day 75 years ago, the first nuclear weapon used in warfare was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. At 8:16 in the morning, people were going about their usual morning activities when the bomb exploded. They never saw it coming. The bomb detonated at a height of 1,900 feet above the city with an explosive yield equal to 15,000 tons of TNT. The radius of total destruction was about one mile, with resulting fires across 4.4 square miles. Over 90 percent of physicians and nurses in Hiroshima were killed or injured; 42 of 45 hospitals were rendered […]
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I Will Write Peace on Your Wings
by Leonard Eiger “I will write peace on your wings and you will fly all over the world.” These are the words of Sadako Sasaki, who was only 2 years old when the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. She survived the bombing and led an outwardly healthy life; she was said to be an energetic child who never missed one day of elementary school. She was also a fast runner. Things changed dramatically for Sadako in 1955 when she was diagnosed with Leukemia (a radiation-induced disease) and was admitted to the hospital. After 1000 paper cranes folded by high school […]
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Remembering the Voices of the Hibakusha
Humanity stands at a crossroads. Nearly 75 years since the United States dropped two nuclear weapons on the people of Japan, we continue to worship the false idols of the nuclear age. We do so at all of humanity’s peril. The nuclear priests continue to practice their alchemy, working from the same, outdated bible created by men during the prehistory of the nuclear age. The mythos created out of this espouses the doctrine of deterrence, and is unable (or unwilling) to hear the voices of suffering they have brought on countless human beings. Furthermore, as a result of their separation, […]
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