We know more about ballistic missiles and war weapons than we know about peace on Earth.
The onset of August 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the horrific Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing of 1945, memories of which are still fresh in the minds of people who witnessed it. On the fateful mornings of 6th and 9th August, 1945, citizens woke up to clouds of smoke. They were the days when people got separated from their loved ones, the days that went down in every history textbook, and that still make headlines as the time when we lost all humanity. The bombing took the entire world by storm.
The incident dates back to World War II when two atomic bombs were dropped — one on Hiroshima on 6th August, 1945, and the second on Nagasaki three days later on 9th August. The uncertain event led to Japan’s ultimate surrender. Aerial pictures of a mushroom cloud rising from the two Japanese towns can still be found on front pages of newspapers. World War II got recorded as the first-ever war in which atomic bombs were used.
The immediate impact of the bombings was devastating as livelihood and infrastructure were completely destroyed. The exposure of the city to harmful radiations brought with destruction many long-term illnesses that caused health hazards such as increase in cancer rates, birth deformities, breathing problems, permanent skin damages and leukaemia.
Today, the two cities have successfully emerged out of the massacre and flames that once impaired its population and infrastructure. Hiroshima can be viewed as a prosperous manufacturing hub with an increasing population. The offices that once had shattered glasses now bustle with people contributing to the economy. The schools once bombarded are now filled with ambitious children from all backgrounds. The streets are filled with cars, buses and cycles. The sky is clear again with all clouds gone.
Obama once asserted that the human wisdom of science has created nuclear bombs, but humanity has not yet succeeded in creating the ethical wisdom to abandon atomic weapons.
“Nagasaki and Hiroshima remind us to put peace first every day; to work on conflict prevention and resolution, reconciliation and dialogue; and to tackle the roots of conflict and violence.” – Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General.