>Three days ago I posted briefly on the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. Today is the anniversary of the second nuclear bombed used against humans. That second bomb was, as we know, dropped on the people of Nagasaki.*
Normally I am not focussed on such events, but I had a strong sense that I should not post on Hiroshima without posting Nagasaki. Also, we must remember these events, their ramifications, their implications, and the reasons why they occurred. I am inclined to think that any bomb, no matter how big or small, used against humans, especially civilians – including children – is reprehensible.
The existence of bombs (and all things military for that matter) is a result of failure – failure to love, to forgive, to show mercy, to give grace, to allow for differences, to be content. But there is a unique place in human history for atomic bombs, not merely for the scale of the horror they unleash, but also because they are an ultimate symbol of failure.
Here is a video clip of that bomb and that fateful day:
There are two striking facts in that video: 1) The signing of their names on the bomb itself by those who built it and delivered it. Somehow they knew of the impersonal nature of what they were unleashing, that they had created something of ultimate terror yet were entirely disconnected from the intended victims, so they had to deliver their names with the bomb. And yet, they did not shrink from being merchants of death. 2) The military video only shows the stunning explosion from the air and not of what was really happening under that mushroom cloud. This preserves the images of the bomb’s “beauty” without the suffering. Those are the images most Americans continue to have of those bombs.
These facts continue to our day. Soldiers still sign their names to bombs and give names to their weapons. The news still largely focuses on the awesome beauty of weapons rather than on the horror they unleash. But we are called to something greater.
*It seems more appropriate to say the people of Nagasaki or the people of Hiroshima rather than just use the names of the cities themselves. Sometimes city names conjure images of maps, and those bombs were not dropped on maps.
pilgrimakimbo 
>I greatly appreciate these posts, and the reminder of failure that they provide – especially to people of my generation, for whom not only are the places maps, but the events are a history we didn’t live. The human failure has remained the same.Maranatha!
>Thanks Marianne for stopping by and letting me know your thoughts.
>There were between 62 and 79 million deaths due to WW2. The Soviet Union alone lost 15% of its population. Of course War is a failure, but once begun, winning is the only option. The world rejoiced in 1945 when those bombs were dropped and ended the war, saving hundreds of thousands of American/Allied lives. It's all fine and good for you to call them "merchants of death" but you owe your life today to those who died for you.
>Anonymous, your argument is predictable and worn out. As for what or to whom I owe my life, you are greatly misinformed.It is apparent that you have not truly read my post or addressed what it is really about. I trust you are capable of doing both.