Commitment to Peace
Aug. 6, 2020
August 6, 2020
Hiroshima, where it was said that nothing green would grow for 75 years.
Now, 75 years later, the city is full of greenery and of people busy living their lives.
In this city, we laugh with our families, go to school with our friends, play in parks.
We wake up refreshed and see so many people throughout the day.
The simple joys of everyday life are everywhere in Hiroshima.
But not this spring.
Our normal way of life was stolen by a devastating new virus.
It made us realize that we must not take our way of life for granted.
Now we realize just how lucky we were to live our lives as normal.
75 years ago, everyday lives which were spent laughing with loved ones were stolen.
8:15 am on August 6, 1945.
There was a blinding flash of light; a great roaring sound that clawed at ears.
People didn’t look like people anymore, suffering terrible burns and dying.
A horrible, indescribable stench like rotting fish permeates the city,
Rendered into a blood-soaked, tragic sight by the atomic bomb.
“Never again.”
These are the powerful words of the hibakusha, who raised the city up from the ashes,
and they live on in our hearts.
To be rid of nuclear weapons made by human hands, we need human will.
Our future does not need nuclear weapons.
We will continue to hold in our hearts the kindness to recognize the value in others.
We will build a peaceful future where we consider the feelings of others and live joyfully in peace.
We, raised in the atomic bombed city of Hiroshima, will bring hope to the future;
the same hope that was passed to us by those who refused to give up in the wake of the bombing.
Children’s Representatives:
Nagakura Natsumi (6th grade, Hiroshima City Yasukita Elementary School)
Omori Shunsuke (6th grade, Hiroshima City Yano-Minami Elementary School)
Hiroshima, where it was said that nothing green would grow for 75 years.
Now, 75 years later, the city is full of greenery and of people busy living their lives.
In this city, we laugh with our families, go to school with our friends, play in parks.
We wake up refreshed and see so many people throughout the day.
The simple joys of everyday life are everywhere in Hiroshima.
But not this spring.
Our normal way of life was stolen by a devastating new virus.
It made us realize that we must not take our way of life for granted.
Now we realize just how lucky we were to live our lives as normal.
75 years ago, everyday lives which were spent laughing with loved ones were stolen.
8:15 am on August 6, 1945.
There was a blinding flash of light; a great roaring sound that clawed at ears.
People didn’t look like people anymore, suffering terrible burns and dying.
A horrible, indescribable stench like rotting fish permeates the city,
Rendered into a blood-soaked, tragic sight by the atomic bomb.
“Never again.”
These are the powerful words of the hibakusha, who raised the city up from the ashes,
and they live on in our hearts.
To be rid of nuclear weapons made by human hands, we need human will.
Our future does not need nuclear weapons.
We will continue to hold in our hearts the kindness to recognize the value in others.
We will build a peaceful future where we consider the feelings of others and live joyfully in peace.
We, raised in the atomic bombed city of Hiroshima, will bring hope to the future;
the same hope that was passed to us by those who refused to give up in the wake of the bombing.
Children’s Representatives:
Nagakura Natsumi (6th grade, Hiroshima City Yasukita Elementary School)
Omori Shunsuke (6th grade, Hiroshima City Yano-Minami Elementary School)
