| I recently participated in a trip to visit Hiroshima. For those of you who do not know, Hiroshima is the city in Japan where the Atomic bomb was dropped
near the end of World War 2 in the year 1946. There are many people who resent Americans for that, but they are mainly an older generation, while most people in
this day in age understand that most of us were far to young to have anything to do with that. Regardless of having nothing to do with it, one can’t help
but feel horrible about it, regardless of where one comes from. I will be completely honest right now, quite possibly allowing myself to appear unintelligent and ignorant, but I believe that one can only learn from erring in the past. Though, if we have learned anything in the past forty-five years, this only works with humans, because there is no “learning curve” with weapons of mass destruction. I am veering from my main point, unintentionally I hope, but back to it. I, in all my ignorance, believed that I would arrive at Hiroshima and see a dessert wasteland surrounding a crater, but I was truly floored when I arrived there. You see, prior to arriving I began bombarding those around me with questions in order to quench my insatiable curiosity, which at the current moment was concerned with knowledge about the city. I found out that the bomb detonated over a certain building, and due to the type of explosion created by the A-bomb, the building was not vaporized. In the end it still stood and was henceforth dubbed the A-bomb dome, due to the dome shape on top of the building. I was also told that everything was obliterated and that those who did not die from the blast were killed from the radiation. I added all of this to my archives of the explosion, so it only makes sense that I expected to see a land absent of all life. As I mentioned before I was left in awe when I saw the city of Hiroshima spread out before me. What I saw was a city that seemed to be prosperous and growing. Walking around this city you would not even know that almost nothing stood there less than half a century ago. This is of course until you see an old building, worn, tired, and falling apart standing in the middle of the city. You would wonder why they would keep this building standing, unless you knew that you were gazing upon the A-bomb dome, and that just forty-five years ago the atomic bomb, released a hell on earth just over that building. As my eyes centered on the building I felt a plethora of emotions overwhelm me. This is very rare being as I am a man who tends to keep his emotions in check, but I could do nothing at the moment. Seeing the building reminds you of the pain and suffering brought on by the bomb. I felt like screaming, crying, fighting, passing out, and even like holding my fellow man and sharing a moment of peace. All of this came from the building, which acts as a link to the past and a warning to the future. Past the building we walked and saw a monument in the middle of a park. The monument was a metal statue of a young girl holding a crane in her hands. I inquired as to the meaning of it, I was told it symbolized peace. I was then told the story regarding the little girl and the crane. After the explosion there was a little girl dying of cancer, brought on by the radiation. She prayed every day to survive, and with every prayer she would make little cranes out of paper (origami). Regardless of her weakening condition she kept making the cranes out of anything she could and praying. She died surrounded by the cranes and her hopes. The monument was erected for the little girl and for all the children who were victims of the war. Under the statue are thousands of paper cranes that people make and place there. Each person voluntarily makes a thousand and places it under the statue in remembrance of the courage of the little girl and all of the other children. The truly innocent who died in a war they had nothing to do with, a war full of decisions made by those who they looked up to, the grown-ups. Grown-ups? Aren’t adults supposed to be the wise ones? Looking at the metal statue of the girl made me wonder just how wise adults really are, if they can make decisions such as war. I remember asking the same questions when I was a child, but the only answer I was ever given was “You are too young, you will understand when you are older”. Well, I am now an adult, but no one can answer me because no one really seems to understand. So much for the wisdom separating children and adults. I think about the little girl with the courage to pray regardless of the monster that was devouring her, where many adults I know would have given up only feeling half the pain she felt. Afterwards we visited the museum containing many historical artifacts and films surrounding the war and the bombing. I was surprised to see that they did not view America as the enemy, but rather that they acknowledged that both sides made mistakes leading to the horrible outcomes of war. I also learned how Hiroshima has become a city eternally seeking peace and the abolishment of nuclear weapons. In fact, the mayor of Hiroshima continuously sends letters to countries, which are testing nuclear weapons. The present mayor, and many of his predecessors have been doing this for so long that copies of the letters cover an entire wall in the museum. The wall gives you an impression of how dangerous the situation is and how regardless of how hopeless it seems all the successive mayors will continue this tradition. At the end of museum there are many booklets, where you can write what your feelings are (in English, Japanese, or whatever language you prefer). I wrote a small essay in it concerning my feelings in regards to the incident. I do not know what they do with what you write, but I signed it at the bottom. The museum was very interesting, but I truly believe what left the most impact on me was the A-bomb dome, and the children’s monument. These may have left the strongest impression on me due to the fact that prior to the trip I had never heard of either of the two. I, like many people, was ignorant of what truly did occur and what exists now. I guess we all tend to hide behind our shield of ignorance and desire not to know. This allows us to support the amassing of nuclear weapons, under the thought that if we have more than them, we will win. This ignorant believe does not linger once one sees and truly understands the sheer destruction and pain just one bomb brings. I cast away my shield and absorbed all of the knowledge I could regarding the incident. The city of Hiroshima built over the ashes of the destruction, not out of pride to show that they will not stay down, but out of rebirth. Just as the phoenix rises out of the ashes, the city rose out of the ashes, but it was forever changed. It has transformed into a city of peace and the mission to preserve it. This is truly inspiring to anyone. I myself went through a transformation after forsaking my shield. I felt an old piece of me die, the ignorant and shielded self, and I was also forever changed. I cannot condone anything that would bring this kind of grief and tears to anyone. I too seek peace now, and though I am but one man. I know that even one man can make a difference, even if it is just to inspire others in the future. “What is a small ripple today may one day be a huge wave”. I look at the example of the small girl holding the crane in her hand, and I know that one person can make a difference. Humbled and forever changed,
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