Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9
As I walk toward an historical monument, the theme of a book I once read flashes through my mind on repeat: man’s inhumanity to man. Feeling sad and a bit overwhelmed, I photograph the building that was the only standing structure near the epicenter of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. While all other buildings around it were flattened, the A-Bomb Dome miraculously survived. It is a reminder of the destruction of which humans are capable.
On this spring day with the cherry trees in full bloom, it is difficult to imagine the horrors of that day and the subsequent weeks, months, and years. But walking through the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum brings the destruction into focus on a more personal level. Photographs of the people of Hiroshima, particularly of the children, tell the story of the devastation that engulfed the residents that day. A photograph, at first glance, looks like a picture of a tattoo gone awry; it is actually the imprint of a woman’s kimono that burned into her skin. People were maimed or killed. Many died later from the radiation. The temperature that day reached almost 7,200 Fahrenheit. People were crying out in thirst and trying to catch the black rain that fell from the sky to drink, not realizing that it was radioactive and would burn their insides. The chaos that engulfed them is difficult to comprehend, because at the time, they had no idea what had just destroyed them and their world.
I leave the museum and walk to clear my head. The images stick in my mind, despite the beauty of the blossoming cherry trees that line the river running by the museum. Man’s inhumanity to man has no limit.
Shortly after the museum visit, I tour Shukkeien Garden in Hiroshima. What a contrast the beauty of this peaceful place is with the horrors of the atomic bomb. That something so beautiful can be made from something so horrible is almost incomprehensible. Yet, the people of Hiroshima press on toward life. They believe there should never be another Hiroshima and today they work toward global peace to ensure it never happens again. What a story of forgiveness, fortitude, and grace.
As I walk toward an historical monument, the theme of a book I once read flashes through my mind on repeat: man’s inhumanity to man. Feeling sad and a bit overwhelmed, I photograph the building that was the only standing structure near the epicenter of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. While all other buildings around it were flattened, the A-Bomb Dome miraculously survived. It is a reminder of the destruction of which humans are capable.
On this spring day with the cherry trees in full bloom, it is difficult to imagine the horrors of that day and the subsequent weeks, months, and years. But walking through the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum brings the destruction into focus on a more personal level. Photographs of the people of Hiroshima, particularly of the children, tell the story of the devastation that engulfed the residents that day. A photograph, at first glance, looks like a picture of a tattoo gone awry; it is actually the imprint of a woman’s kimono that burned into her skin. People were maimed or killed. Many died later from the radiation. The temperature that day reached almost 7,200 Fahrenheit. People were crying out in thirst and trying to catch the black rain that fell from the sky to drink, not realizing that it was radioactive and would burn their insides. The chaos that engulfed them is difficult to comprehend, because at the time, they had no idea what had just destroyed them and their world.
I leave the museum and walk to clear my head. The images stick in my mind, despite the beauty of the blossoming cherry trees that line the river running by the museum. Man’s inhumanity to man has no limit.
Shortly after the museum visit, I tour Shukkeien Garden in Hiroshima. What a contrast the beauty of this peaceful place is with the horrors of the atomic bomb. That something so beautiful can be made from something so horrible is almost incomprehensible. Yet, the people of Hiroshima press on toward life. They believe there should never be another Hiroshima and today they work toward global peace to ensure it never happens again. What a story of forgiveness, fortitude, and grace.
There are many mini-Hiroshimas in our world today, from wars to mass shootings. May we, like the people of Hiroshima, work toward peace, globally and in our communities. May we take tangible steps to end violence and may we strive to make the world a better place, one of peace and forgiveness, and even of beauty.
God of peace and grace, how Your heart must break from man’s inhumanity to man. Violence indeed begets violence. While living under brutal Roman oppression, Jesus preached against violence, even retaliatory violence, saying that those who live by the sword will die by the sword. May we help create the kingdom on earth that Jesus talked about, where violence has no place and where people live in harmony with one another. What a heaven on earth that would be! Amen
Text and photographs copyright © 2023 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the A-Bomb Dome and Shukkeien Garden, both in Hiroshima, Japan.
NOTE: May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. To learn more, go to AsianPacificHeritage.gov, History.com, or PBS.
May is also Jewish American Heritage Month.
Check out JewishAmericanHeritage.org and JewishHeritageMonth.gov.
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A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.
Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).
Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice. Click here to learn more.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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