The Hiroshima Peace Memorial was one of the saddest places I visited. It recollects the history of the events that transpired on Aug 6 1945 through powerful stories: stories of angst-ridden mothers and father searching for their children, some buried, some burnt, some barely clinging on to life. There were stories of children who, despite knowing they were going to die, were calmly telling their parents that it is going to be ok. All of these stories, and more, were preserved so that the horrors of war can forever be remembered.
Why did I bring it up now? I felt that it was apt given the apathy we seem to have developed towards the loss of human lives. The Peace Memorial showed truly what happened when humanity turned against each other, and yet, countless wars have been fought since. And similarly, the recent (in)actions by our own leaders made me realize that someday in the future, humanity would look back at this day and age, when we seem powerless to stop something as trifling as gun violence, and wonder why we never learnt from history.
The issue (of gun control) may be complex, and may have different meanings for different groups of people, but the consequence is the same: red and black. It is most certainly time to elevate the right to live over the right to bear arms.
During the Hiroshima bombing, a 2 year old girl was exposed to severe radiation, and developed leukemia at the age of 12. She started making these paper cranes hoping it'll help her recover. She made more than a 1000 paper cranes, but recover, she never did. But these cranes (some pictured here) became a symbol of peace
I sincerely hope through these events (the shootings) which have resulted in senseless loss of lives, we can create a symbol that can unite the citizens of this country against gun violence.
Hiroshima
Japan