It was a terrible thing for the people of Hiroshima. It was a good thing because it, along with the dropping of the bomb on Nagasaki on August 9th, ended the war with Japan, saving countless lives. How you get to peace is not simple most of the time. The key is not to start a war in the first place, for Russian not to invade Ukraine, for example. The problem is often the ego of one person, the sheer arrogance of one powerful person. We must, as much as possible, not let these charismatic scheming psychopaths get into positions of power in the first place.
Perhaps the starkest reminder of the destruction visited on Hiroshima is the Atomic Bomb Dome. Built by a Czech architect in 1915, it was the Industrial Promotion Hall until the bomb exploded almost directly above it. Everyone inside was killed, but the building was one of very few left standing near the epicenter.. A decision was made after the war to preserve the shell as a memorial. The building has since become a haunting symbol of the city, and was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1996. If you are in Hiroshima, wander by this building in the evening when it is quiet and the ruins are floodlit.
JT
Peacehenge 