Remember Hiroshima/Nagasaki 80 Years Later

Moving Back from the Brink of Nuclear War 
Urgent thoughts on the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

On August 6, 1945 the first nuclear bomb was used in war. As we prepare to remember this seminal event, which seems remote and unimaginable to many, let us remember the real lives that were lost (well over 100,000 people) and the current crisis that could engulf us all if this horror were repeated. 

“First, please bring to mind people in your family, parents, partner, children, grandchildren, the natural world…..They are why we do this work: to be sure these precious beings are not wiped out in a nuclear war.”

So started a workshop by Joanna Macy in 1985 in Syracuse. It is because of Joanna’s work that I have been able to continue working against nuclear holocaust since I first read her book Despair and Empowerment in the Nuclear Age, and, with Peter Swords, organized that workshop.  Joanna’s work helped me realize that I was not crazy, when I could not stop thinking about the horrible possibility of nuclear war in the early 1980s. My children were young, and I didn’t think they would have the opportunity to grow up. I spent months numb, barely able to function, until her work freed me. It did not decrease my despair. It harnessed it. 

In her later book Active Hope, she wrote, “Blocked communication generates a deadly peril, for the greatest danger of our time is the deadening of our response. We can’t address the horrors we face if it is too depressing to think about. Instead, what we need is Active hope: becoming active participants in bringing about what we hope for.”

Rebecca Solnit says: “Hope is not a lottery ticket you can sit on the sofa and clutch, feeling lucky. It is an axe you break down doors with in an emergency.” 

So what is our axe, and where do we start?

First, don’t be afraid to share your despair. Don’t be afraid to notice how bad things are. The last six months have led me to fear that the Trump Regime might just be depraved enough to consider the use of nuclear weapons again. In the current world of rising tensions, and nine nuclear nations, with weapons many times more powerful than the originals, we are at the brink of potential civilization-ending disaster. 

Once we allow ourselves to think about the danger, what next? We start with raising awareness about the danger, while always sharing active hope. One step is our annual dramatic Hiroshima Procession today, gathering at 4:30 pm at the Arts Atrium,  201 E. Washington St., Syracuse. We will walk to the Nancy Cantor Warehouse at 350 W. Fayette St. for an art opening  sharing works by survivors which were gathered by members of Nihon Hidankyo, the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates. Related actions are taking place across the world.

Whether you can attend an event or not, please urge your representatives to support  and co-sponsor  The Back from the Brink Resolution in Congress.

Together we can stop the nuclear threat and build a peaceful world for all.

Diane Swords

Diane is a longtime organizer with the Syracuse Peace Council and former staffperson of Peace Action Central New York.