Should humanity and nuclear weapons coexist?

It is August 6th, 2020.

This short disjointed piece is about four linked events that impacted me greatly and changed my view about humanity; a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in 2012, and three quotes from Oppenheimer, Capt. Robert Lewis and Koko Kondo

I have heard and read many times about this sad event, the dropping of 4400 kg uranium bomb over Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945 instantly killing about 70,000 people. But all my previous casual reading about this event did not prepare me for what I have learned from this visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. I highly recommend for all, especially students and the young generation.

But first a bit of background, years before this visit, I read this: 'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds'. The story of Oppenheimer's infamous quote when the first atomic bomb was successfully detonated on July 16, 1945, in the Trinity test in New Mexico. As he witnessed the first detonation of a nuclear weapon, a piece of Hindu scripture ran through the mind of Robert Oppenheimer. In August 1945, the weapons were used in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Apparently (you can factcheck), in a television interview in 1965, Dr Oppenheimer said: “We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed (immediately after the nuclear explosion), a few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince (Arjuna) that he should do his duty, and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form" , etc. etc... see above quote.

I too read and grew up with other scriptures which taught me about death, what is right and what is wrong. But for some na?ve reason, I never expected Oppenheimer will be the kind of person who will read scriptures of any kind… it is complex world!

“Looking down from thousands of feet over Hiroshima” Capt. Robert Lewis, co-pilot of the B-29 bomber Enola Gay that dropped the bomb, named ‘little boy’  said “all I could think of was…God, what have we done?”. 

Three days a second bomb named ‘fat man’ was dropped over Nagasaki, and as they say the rest is history.

Koko Kondo who was eight months old, when the bomb was dropped survived, I cannot do justice to write about what she went through, suffice to mention; anger, humiliation, seeking revenge, etc.  but I will share this with you… when in 1955 she was on NBC show, this is your life, also appearing that day was Capt. Robert Lewis (see above), tears swelling up in his eyes, he said that he had written in his flight log on Aug 6, 1945 “…My God, What have we done?”  Indeed what have you done? The world has changed and we learnt to live with nuclear bombs... or should we?

Kondo changed her mind about hate, revenge and realised “ she should not hate this person… but hate war itself”. That is a noble approach. I have a lot of respect for the Japanese people, and as I wrote in many other pieces... am in love with Japan!

I would like to encourage you to read more about this, reflect on it, write about it... tell your friends and children... your local MPs, leaders you elect...so that we will find a way that we can all live together in peace! Soon. The alternative is unthinkable.

#NEWS #somalia #museum #unesco #UN #Africa #UN