The dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki thrust our world into the nuclear age. By developing nuclear weapons, human beings placed themselves on the brink of self-extinction. Hiroshima, having experienced a preview of that extinction, was transformed. A city known for education and military facilities became a city known for its efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons and bring about lasting world peace.
Today, in a world that still maintains huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons and faces the real and present danger of nuclear proliferation, the human race must apply the full potential of our collective wisdom to controlling the nuclear threat.
The unspeakable horror of their atomic bomb experience convinced the people of Hiroshima that human beings cannot coexist with nuclear weapons. The indelible conviction that nuclear weapons are unacceptable gave rise to the Spirit of Hiroshima, the constant and unwavering desire for the abolition of nuclear weapons and a world permanently at peace. It was this spirit that set Hiroshima on its quest.
The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima was an inhumane weapon that caused inestimable suffering at the time, of course, but has continued to cause mental and physical suffering to this day. We must reflect critically and truthfully not just on the A-bomb but on war and the processes that lead to war. Only through reflection and active inquiry can we learn the lessons of war.
That August 6th and the days following were a time the survivors find painful to recall. Despite the pain, some survivors have devoted their lives to the task of describing their experience: the destruction, the tragedy, the overwhelming numbers of dead, the grief over the family members they were unable to save, the physical disabilities, the constant fear of aftereffects. They put themselves through the memories time and again to convince the world never again to allow the use of a nuclear weapon. Through such activities they manifest the Spirit of Hiroshima and give powerful expression to Hiroshima's mission that all peoples around the world join hands to make peace a reality.
