What a night - on the one hand sad, that we were all brought together to remember or not to forget, the bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki, just the same it was a powerful evening and a good example of what the human spirit can accomplish through collaboration.
We were all given a chance to make our own lantern which was to be floated on the local "Gorge" waterway. I'd include pictures, however at the present I am attempting to negotiate peace between my iPhone and my Mac laptop (you'd think there would be "seamless" interfacing, however they seem to have found something to be at odds over). Once our lanterns were complete, we all gathered around for the pre-launch presentations.
There was some traditional Japanese folk dancing (Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society) - next up, a local group of young children from the Victoria Japanese Heritage Language School - they sang us 3 traditional songs - their enthusiasm, joy and innocence was heart-warming, though also a reminder that there were many young innocent lives among those that perished 68 years ago today (and again 3 days later).
A poem was shared first in the original Japanese and then translated to English, so that the stark expression of an eye witness to the immediate carnage and aftermath to follow was made hauntingly clear and immediate - told with such rawness the tortured reality of those that survived, some whom would live out there lives continuing to suffer immensely, the mercy of a life spared, escaped them. To hear of the devastation and the suffering sent chills through my body and brought tears to my eyes.
Next there was a couple teenage kids from a local church community that read the personal essays of two Japanese teens that had been younger children at the time of the bombings and then wrote of their experience (I believe it was 5 years later) again the graphic description and personal accounts put an all to human face on unimaginable terror and inexcusable inhumanity.
A large contingent of international students from a local college (Pearson's) then gave a stirring performance, first a South African "gumboot dance" (said to be a dance of defiance during Apartheid) and then a beautifully sung 4 part voice collage, that contained the traditional chants of 4 different religious paths. It was indeed something to behold - the voices harmonized so exquisitely an amazing metaphoric representation of just what was possible, 4 paths - many voices - one song! Deep in my heart I know the truth of it - it could be this way - IT MUST BE THIS WAY!
We then went to the beach to launch our flotilla of lanterns - all adorned with open-hearted artistic expressions of Remembrance, Hope, Love, Peace, Unity, Forgiveness. As we watched the small fleet drift away from shore (with the initial help of some of the kids in the crowd, who were all to willing to wade in and push the lanterns further "out to sea") we were handily lead by the Raging Grannies in some 60's peace anthems and then joined hands and were led through some "peace prayers" that were somewhat like the Hawaiian Ho'oponopono.
The following is an excerpt from a letter from the mayor of Hiroshima - which contained short accounts from people in the city during the attack:
Indiscriminately stealing the lives of innocent people, permanently altering the lives of survivors, and stalking their minds and bodies to the end of their days, the atomic bomb is the ultimate inhumane weapon and an absolute evil. Hibakusha (translated: "explosion affected people")
Survivors of the bombs that are physically, emotionally and spiritually scarred during the nuclear storm, who have suffered with endless health issues and have been marginalized and ostracized by those that were not affected by the blast - because of fears and ignorance, surrounding their being "irradiated" and therefore health concerns to everyone else. As a result it has negatively impacted their relationships, employment prospects - child birth. No part of their lives has been left untouched. (emphasis mine)
The hibakusha, who know the hell of an atomic bombing, have continuously fought that evil.
Under harsh, painful circumstances, the hibakusha have struggled with anger, hatred, grief and other agonizing emotions. Suffering with after effects, over and over they cried, "I want to be healthy," "Can't I just lead a normal life?" But precisely because they had suffered such tragedy themselves, they came to believe that no one else "should ever have to experience this cruelty." A man who was 14 at the time of the bombing pleads, "If the people of the world could just share love for the Earth and love for all people, an end to war would be more than a dream."
Even as their average age surpasses 78, the hibakusha continue to communicate their longing for peace. They still hope the people of the world will come to share the longing and choose the right path. In response to the desire of the many hibakusha who have transcended such terrible pain and sorrow, the rest of us must become the force that drives the struggle to abolish nuclear weapons.
If ever there was a compelling story for peace I believe this must rank highly among them - countless lives lost on those fateful days, thousands more left in some sort of exile, a living purgatory. These are the stories of those that are dwindling in numbers due to age and deteriorating health, yet they hope that before they breath their last, their life will have been given some meaning, through inspiring nuclear disarmament and peace.
Wars continue to be waged - countries that currently have nuclear weapon capabilities include: U.K., China, France, India,
Pakistan, Russia, United States, Israel, North Korea. Countries that continue to seek to develop nuclear weapons: Syria and Iran.
So while the voices of those so profoundly affected become fewer (albeit no less relevant) I'm left with the question isn't it time to at least give the idea of peace - "A Chance!"
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