24/10/2023
Nagasaki was beautiful and haunting. The Peace Museum contained the deafening echoes of grief preserved in rubble, photographs, and in the poems of survivors. I have never been in a building that contained that level of pain and sorrow. It is a solemn reminder of the consequences of human conflict, and the horrors of war.
Stepping out of the museum, the dark history was starkly contrasted by the beauty surrounding the area. A quiet town full of kind people. Well kept parks with students playing on the grass. Dog owners with their adorable canine companions. Vendors selling ice cream in the shape of flowers.
Human beings are truly incredible in their capacity to recover. To heal. Even after such a massive and unspeakable collective trauma, life continues on. The day I spent on that island is one I will never forget.
