Hiroshima Peace Garden

Perhaps it is appropriate that I post this today, in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris and other places around the globe.  These are the gardens of the Hiroshima Peace Garden and Museum in Hiroshima, Japan.

The Children's Peace Monument

This area was once the political and commercial heart of the city.  After the bomb, it was a wasteland.  Four years after the bombing, it was decided that area would not be redeveloped, but instead devoted to a memorial dedicated to the victims and the promotion of peace in the world.

The Cenotaph at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

There are two main buildings here which explain the history of Hiroshima and the aftermath of the nuclear bomb which was dropped on August 6th in 1945 at 8:15 a.m. and killed 140,000 people.

Many of those who died passed away from leukemia, one of the side effects of radiation from the bomb, many months after the bomb dropped.  

The stories told here are very moving.  

 

It's important for us to understand the lessons of history.

The Peace Memorial Museum

It is a quiet place for contemplation and thoughtful remembrance.  Some find it emotionally upsetting.  My friend said he found it sad, but also beautiful and peaceful.

In the scriptures we are commanded:

And again I say unto you, sue for peace, not only to the people that have smitten you, but also to all people; and lift up an ensign of peace, and make a proclamation of peace unto the ends of the earth; and make proposals for peace unto those who have smitten you, according to the voice of the Spirit which is in you, and all things shall work together for your good. - Doctrine and Covenants 105: 38-40 

We have also been told that there will be no peace in this world except for the peace that Christ brings to each of us through His gospel:

Peace I leave with you, Jesus told his disciples, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

The Lord, through the prophet Isaiah, also admonishes us that true peace comes only through obedience to the commandments of God:

O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments!  then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.. - Isaiah 48:18