Thinking about Peace:
Hiroshima and Peace |
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by Peter Goldsbury
Professor Emeritus at Hiroshima University |
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I have been living in Hiroshima for over thirty years and for much of this
time have been involved with the Peace Culture Foundation and its predecessor.
When friends from overseas come to visit, their stay always includes a
visit to the Peace Memorial Museum and the reaction is always the same:
profound shock at what happened to Hiroshima and its population on August
6, 1945. This shock is inevitably followed by deep reflection on what is
often called Hiroshima no Kokoro, the Spirit of Hiroshima: the earnest desire on the part of the people
of Hiroshima for lasting world peace, free of nuclear weapons. I would
like to reflect on what this means.
The big Oxford English Dictionary gives several definitions of the word
"peace", but two stand out:
1. Freedom from, or cessation of, war or hostilities; that condition of a nation or community in which it is not at war with another.
This definition is in some sense a "negative" definition, since
peace is defined as the absence of something else, in this case, war or
hostilities, and the definition is applied to a large organism like a nation.
However, nothing is stated positively about the actual situation of being
free from war or hostilities.
2. Freedom from quarrels or dissension between individuals; a state of friendliness; concord, amity.
The second definition is narrower in focus, since it applied to individuals
and is more positive, mentioning a state of friendship, concord or amity.
I believe we need to understand the term "Peace", as exemplified
in Hiroshima no Kokoro, or Hiroshima's other title, City of International Peace and Culture, in both of the senses suggested by these definitions, not just the first one.
The first definition concerns nations and communities and this can be understood
as applying to Hiroshima City as a large community, led by Mayor Akiba.
The Peace Ceremony, held on August 6 each year, is a major event of great
international importance and there are very few places in the world where
there is no coverage of this commemoration of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima,
and of Nagasaki on August 9. Along with the City of Nagasaki, Hiroshima
has been very active in bringing to the attention of the whole world the
major issues of world peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons. Initiatives
such as Mayors for Peace and the many international exchanges dedicated
to educating the world about the realities of the bombing are an essential
part of this mission. In this respect, Hiroshima City―the Mayor, the city
government, including the Peace Culture foundation―is carrying out this
mission superlatively and, of course, it hardly needs stating that it is
absolutely imperative that this mission continues, until the overall goal
has been achieved and the stockpiles of nuclear weapons held by all the
nuclear powers have been destroyed. However, even when this mission is
finally accomplished, it would be naïve to think that all wars and conflicts
will be eliminated thereby. The abolition of nuclear weapons will still
leave open the possibility of acts of terrorism, piracy, and political
change involving violent conflict.
Nevertheless, the second definition is highly relevant to these wider
and more intractable issues, since it concerns the state of friendship,
concord and amity among individuals. A state of peace unconditionally entails
the maintenance and flourishing of this state of friendship among individuals―in
this case, the population of Hiroshima, understood in a wide sense: Japanese
residents, non-Japanese residents, long-term and short-term visitors. Hiroshima
should shine out as an International City of Peace and Culture in this sense, also.
Hiroshima is home to many people like myself and it is always very pleasant
to return after a trip abroad. In my case this is usually by bullet train,
which passes through the final tunnel, begins to slow down, and glides
over city along the long elevated track towards Hiroshima Station. There
is this wonderful view of the city, looking to the south and for visitors
this is a splendid way to see Hiroshima for the first time. And for me?
Well, there is the English proverb, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" …
Nevertheless, I have a sort of gut feeling that Hiroshima―the people
of Hiroshima―have an obligation―a challenge, if you like, to make International City of Peace and Culture mean more than just a name. A name can be a slogan; it can also be a definite
description, which depicts what is named with complete accuracy, but there
is still some way to go before this complete match is achieved. My long
association with the Peace Culture Foundation has convinced me that there
is a huge reservoir of good will in Hiroshima, perhaps largely still untapped,
which has resulted in a vast range of initiatives and projects at local
level. People really do want to help, to make Hiroshima stand out as a
real beacon of peace, if given the opportunity.
On the other hand, my long experience of living here has also convinced
me of the other side of the picture: Hiroshima is an average sort of city:
it is large, but compact in the center; it is bustling, but also quiet,
with a village atmosphere in some areas. This is why it is so pleasant
to live here. However, it is still average, with the same multifarious
problems of living as occur in other Japanese cities of similar size.
A few evenings ago I was having dinner with a good friend, who has also
lived in Hiroshima for many years. He told me he was making a list of peace
activities and projects that people could engage in: anything that was
doable. We both agreed that there was a need for more grass roots activity
and other friends I have met since then agree. International City of Peace and Culture is a splendid name, but there is still a gap between the name and the
reality and we need to work harder to close the gap. Earlier, I gave two
definitions of peace and applied these to Hiroshima. I believe that the
second definition of peace is just as important as the first one, but is
much harder to exemplify. The challenges are enormous, but this is what
makes a challenge worth overcoming. |
| (Contributed in March 2011) |
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[profile]
Peter Goldsbury
Attended Sussex University (UK), Harvard University (US), Ph.D from University College London (UK)
Emeritus professor of Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Social Sciences, Department of Management.
General specialization: comparative culture, cross-cultural negotiation, philosophy of language
Civin Activities: Member of the Board of Trustees, Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation / Chair of Hiroshima City Council for Foreign Residents / Formerly Director-General, Hiroshima International School / Formerly Member of Police Committee, Hiroshima Prefectural Police, Higashi-Hiroshima Police Station
Other Activities: Aikido 6th dan / Chairman International Aikido Federation / Member of Board of Directors, Japan-British Society of Hiroshima |
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