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 the people who witnessed and suffered it.
It was the fateful morning of 6th and 9th August when citizens woke up to clouds of smoke and not sunshine, an experience that took the entire world by storm, a day when people were separated from their loved ones, a day that went down in every history textbook, an event that still makes headlines and a day when we lost all humanity.
The incident dates back to World War 2 when two atomic bombs were dropped, on Hiroshima on 6th August and Nagasaki on 9th August. The uncertain event led to Japan’s ultimate surrender.
The aerial pictures of mushroom clouds rising from the two Japanese towns can still be seen on the front pages of newspapers, making it the first-ever war where atomic bombs were used.
The immediate impact was devastating as livelihood and infrastructure were completely destroyed.
The effect of exposure to harmful radiations brought with it many long-term illnesses that caused major health hazards such as an increase in cancer rates, birth deformities, breathing problems, permanent skin damages and leukemia.
Today, the two cities have successfully emerged above 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 asserted that the human wisdom of science had created nuclear bombs, but humanity had not yet succeeded in creating the ethical wisdom to abandon nuclear 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.
