Aug 9, 1945, 11:02 AM
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79 years ago today, an atomic bomb was dropped on my hometown, Nagasaki.
Here, I would like to share my thoughts on the fact.
As a premise, please understand that I do not intend to blame Americans. I ask you to read this essay with that in mind.
I have personally lost many important people in my life. That is why I deeply understand the pain of seeing loved ones disappear from our daily lives. After losing someone dear to you, no matter how much you call out to them, they will never respond, and you can never see the face or talk with them again. That is why you must cherish those close to you at this moment.
79 years ago today, the atomic bomb instantly took away the lives of the people in my hometown. On a day just like today, when you are living your ordinary life, an atomic bomb suddenly fell and incinerated everything. My grandfather was there at that time, and he also was a victim of the atomic bomb.
Growing up in Nagasaki, I was taught many times about the horrors of war and the cruelty of the atomic bomb. I always thought I would do my part to ensure such a past would never be repeated.
However, after moving to America for baseball and study, my thoughts changed dramatically. My perspective on the atomic bombing of Nagasaki was vastly different from the understanding of many Americans I encountered.
When people ask me, “Where are you from in Japan?” I answer, "Nagasaki." But most of them don’t know where that is. If they don’t know Nagasaki, then naturally means they don’t know about the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, and that makes me sad.
That might be little better, but there have been times when people made light of my response after I said I’m from Nagasaki, and that really hurt. There are people who mockingly call it "Bombed city" or "Defeated nation," or who look at photos of the war-torn city and people and make fun of them. Every time, it breaks my heart.
Of course, some may argue that Japan was the one that attacked Pearl Harbor first. However, those who are well-versed in history might consider the fact that America stopped exporting oil to Japan before that. Since the war was started by both sides, you cannot say that only one country was to blame. Both countries bear responsibility for starting the war and involving innocent civilians.
I do not want an apology or sympathy from America. What I want most to convey through this essay is that we must build a peaceful world where war never happens again.
Imagine if someone close to you disappeared, or if your daily life was taken away.
Just thinking about it is painful, isn’t it?
However, this is a fact that actually happened 79 years ago, and even today, wars are breaking out in parts of the world.
Let’s put an end to it.
Please close your eyes for a moment and imagine losing your loved ones and your everyday life.
Just as you have important people in your life, so do people in the battlefield.
with carrying a corpse of his brother
So, what can we do to achieve world peace?
I have two main ideas.
The first is to spread accurate information to more people. Through this essay, I want to inform more people about the horrors of the atomic bomb. Also, this summer, during my teaching practicum, I had the opportunity to tell my students in history class about the horrors of the war that I experienced. They were initially confused upon learning about the Japanese side of the story, but they gradually began to understand, and in the end, they thanked me. We must have the right knowledge and appropriately address people with wrong ideas or dangerous opinions to avoid hurting others.
The second is to cherish the people around you now. Not only in war, but life is unpredictable. Yesterday, I learned the fear of nearly losing my family and friends due to a major earthquake in Japan. Besides that, people can easily be taken away by accidents or illness. That’s why I want you to cherish the people around you right now.
Everyone reading this essay, as well as those around me, are all very nice to me. I am always grateful that they took care of me. That’s why I don’t want to lose them, and I want to take an action for them, to always be nice for their sake, even if it means sacrificing myself. To avoid regret, I want you to live this moment to the fullest for the people you cherish.
Finally, I never want to lose anyone again, and I don’t want anyone else to lose someone either. That’s why we need to learn the history of the past, have accurate knowledge, apply it to our current lives, and work to change the future world.
Sometimes I feel like my life is crazy, but I believe that a lot of pains make me grow as a man.
Please stay safe and healthy, everyone 🙏!!
Thanks for reading!!🙇
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Kanta Ueno