Hungarian novelist Arthur Koestler was asked what is the most significant date in human history? He responded without hesitation – “August 6, 1945, when Hiroshima was destroyed by one atomic bomb. Before that date we had only to contend with our own individual death; after Hiroshima we must cope with extinction of our species.”
Global light burst forth in brightness on July 7, 2017 as 122 countries (out of 195) voted in one United Nations assembly to abolish nuclear weapons. Nine states now in possession of 15,000 nuclear weapons ignored the resolution. They are simply “rogue nations.” (Britain, China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, USA)
The Nobel peace prize for 2017 was awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) in October.
Setsuko Thurlow was severely burned at 13 years old when Hiroshima was devastated. Seventy two years later she continues her campaign to abolish suicidal weapons. Setsuko was present in Oslo, Norway when the Nobel peace prize was awarded to leaders of ICAN.
After the 1945, blast she was buried under the ashes but able to see the light and crawl to safety of the light beyond radioactive rubble.
Still bearing burn scars of August 1945, she spoke at the award ceremony in October” – “Our light now is the ban treaty.”
Gandhi said “For me God is truth.” ICAN director Beatrice Fihn spoke truth with clarity: “This abolition is our way forward…”
Official final ratification of the UN abolition momentum depends upon each one of us striving for survival of life on earth. The nuclear weapons business is a multi-trillion dollar enterprise employing thousands. The third use of such weapons could mean nobody has jobs in the future.
