For many people, the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima epitomized America's cognitive dissonance: on one side the country holds high regard for human life and freedom; but on the other side it does not hesitate to resort to violence to achieve its political goals. Similarly, the US condemned the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 but vehemently defends its actions on that fateful day of August 6, 1945. For others, it represents the ultimate act of terrorism (the 145,000 people killed by the attack dwarfs the 3,000 victims who lost their lives in the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks. I doubt the debate will subside anytime soon.
There is, however, an opportunity to take a step toward healing the pain that has spanned across generations, barely masked by the quiet and elegant dignity of the Japanese. Five Nobel Laureates are calling on President Barack Obama to join the delegation that will visit Japan in November to renew calls for a world without nuclear weapons. Former leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, Lech Walesa, of Poland, former South African President Frederik Willem de Klerk, East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta and former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias Sanchez wrote a letter to President Obama asking him to join them in Japan in November in an act of solidarity with that country. So far he has not made any comment or commitment. The decision is not an easy one, but then again the decision to drop the bomb was not easy either. Funny how that works out, isn't it?
It seems that it is easier to go to war than to arrive at peace. That is the true tragedy.
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