The Importance Of Peace Education

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Some events are forgotten, and some events affect the world forever. The dropping of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945 was one of these events. The United States was in the middle of WWII, fighting alongside the Allies. America had already lost thousands of troops, and was devastated by the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In an attempt to keep from making a land invasion, the United States first called for a surrender from Japan. When the Emperor refused, President Truman made the unforgettable decision to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. This was the first time that an atomic bomb had ever been used in war, and the consequences were drastic. The dropping of the atomic bomb caused 40% of the city’s population, 350,000 people, to die…show more content…
In an article on peace education, Kanako Ide argues that that the only kind of positive peace education is one that focuses on peace, peace education is not focusing on the horrors of war. While this may seem contradictory then how the Peace Museum could be considered peace education, it is. More specifically, the Genbaku Dome which was 160 meters from the hypocenter of the blast and is now part of the Hiroshima Peace Park, is a great example of peace education (Ide). The Dome is now a permanent lasting reflection of the atomic bomb. This probably sounds contradictory because this is a spot of war, but the Dome is a symbol of peace because it is commonly used to show that peace has now been found even after the bomb. It also constitutes peace education not just peace because if people were not educated then it would just be a dome, but instead it holds significance. The Genbaku Dome is not the only part of museum that could be considered Peace Education. The entire museum is actually a form of peace education because while they do focus on how horrible the war war, their main message is how to move forward to peace. Overall, the Hiroshima Peace Museum calls provides a basis to learn about the horrors of nuclear weapons, and calls for an end to war. Specifically, it calls for an end to nuclear weapons, not just to not use them, but to get rid of them. Victor F. Weisskopf, a leader at the Los Alamos Scientific Library, said, ““It is senseless to try to avoid a nuclear war by preparing to wage such a war and to prevail.” (Weisskopf 1985 quoted in Pant 1987). The museum demonstrates this exact belief, they call for an end to nuclear weapons as a whole because to avoid nuclear war effectively, people need to first get rid of the weapons. The Hiroshima Peace Museum has been persistent in their message of peace from their displays, to
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