Youth Take Action

Hadashi no Gen, one of the most popular comic book series in Japan, has been translated into English by a volunteer group called Project Gen. The translation was finished this year (2009) and published in the United States under the title Barefoot Gen.

Loosely based on creator Kenji Nakazawa’s own life, the story begins in 1945 in and around Hiroshima, Japan, where six-year-old Gen lives with his family. The atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima, and Gen and other survivors are left to deal with the horror and devastation in its aftermath.

The other day, Nakazawa attended a party in Hiroshima commemorating the publication of Barefoot Gen. He expressed his desire to give a copy to U.S. President Barack Obama.

Barefoot Gen was one of my favorites when I was an elementary school student. I read it repeatedly and thought that the A-bomb was very terrifying.

“Melted skin hanging from bare muscle, bloated bodies floating down a river.” These are horrible scenes that the author himself witnessed after the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.

I’ll never forget the impact this had on me.

“The reality was much worse than what I was able to present,” he says. “In literature writers have described the burned skin on people’s arms, for example, as if they were gloves that had been turned inside-out. But can you imagine what it actually looks like? Manga (comic books), on the other hand, are a great tool which can visually appeal to readers.”

I hope many people, especially youth, realize through Barefoot Gen that nuclear weapons are an absolute evil and decide to take action for nuclear abolition.

Name: Tadashi
Age: 24
Gender: Male

In New York, people have begun to enthusiastically support our cause and introduce the People’s Decade site to their friends. Thanks to their efforts, we were recently inundated with contributions adding voices to the Olive Tree of Peace. While we are ecstatic at the overwhelming response, technical problems unfortunately make it impossible for us to introduce all of these voices on the Olive Tree of Peace at this time. Therefore, we would like to eventually showcase all of them in this blog. Eleven are being introduced now.

It may be that those who raised their voices have become more aware of the topic of nuclear abolition partly because they’ve just marked the 8th anniversary of the 9.11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. and partly because President Obama is slated to attend a UN conference on nuclear disarmament at the end of this month.

The critical 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will be held in Geneva from 28 April to 8 May next year. It’s certain to become a hotter topic as the date draws near, and the staff of the People’s Decade website are determined to work harder than ever for the cause of nuclear disarmament.

Greg Bailey
Male, 25
United States
The human race needs peace now because we are still suffering from the wars of our past. War is addictive and like any addiction, it destroys us from the inside out. It poisons us.
   Nevertheless, we feed the addiction until we become victims.
   For the generations yet to come, we must stop the violence now, stop the addiction in its tracks and maybe the next generation will be free from suffering and pain.

* * * * *

Rie Kanamaru
Female, 13
United States
You can try to make peace by yourself but you will always need supporters. Peace is everything but threat and war and ugly death.
   War is pointless, just threatening people’s lives and ruining the environment.
   Is there a reason why we should have war? No, not a single reason. Life shouldn’t be risked easily. Life is something great.
   Why waste life in pushing your own thoughts? If you threaten, they will threaten back.
   Everyone has their own pride and opinions. All we can do is respectfully accept them.

* * * * *

Peggy Walters
Female, 62
United States
Our most precious resource is the people. Our people. We must do everything we can to protect our most precious treasure.
   Nuclear disarmament must happen no matter what.

* * * * *

Mohita Satara
Female, 25
India
Our world today is a global village and it is imperative that all of our interactions (interpersonal & global), stem from a place of peaceful exchange. Exchange based on our understanding, cooperation & tolerance.
   This is the only way for friendships to develop, for conflict to be resolved without fighting & for understanding to well forth from differences.
   For this to occur, nuclear disarmament is essential. We cannot allow ourselves to live on the brink of destruction; where we make unwise decisions that harm humanity.
   We need to excercise our wisdom and ensure that there is never an opportunity that nuclear weapons can ever be available to anyone and instead give everyone only peaceful options & dialogue for resolving conflict.

* * * * *

Zack L.
Male, 15
United States
Nuclear weapons are bad. Nuclear bombs have the capability of destroying a whole city with a touch of a button. That’s too much power for one person or even a country to have.

* * * * *

Jeffrey M. Levine
Male, 58
United States
All people are entitled to live their lives in peace and with hope for the future. The very existence of nuclear weapons destroys that hope.
   Children especially should be able to grow up with a sense of the unlimited possibilities in the future. If we care at all for our children, the threat of nuclear weapons must be completely eliminated.

* * * * *

Jennifer Lee
Female, 56
Guyana
To achieve lasting peace everyone should strive to engage at least one person in meaningful dialogue and action for peace. The first step is usually difficult but not insurmountable.

* * * * *

Alex Boucher
Male, 43
United States
We have lost so many lives senselessly because of the use of nuclear arms. Still there are individuals who mistakenly believe that nuclear arms pose no threat to humanity and its existence.
   These erroneous views are what need to be quickly reformed.

* * * * *

Alexandra Rogriguez
Female, 38
United States
I think that war is not worth anything because many people die in the process. losing lives and their loved ones crying out all their tears just doesn’t seem right.

* * * * *

Louise Kuhne
Female, 7
United States
There will be no wars. There will be no bombs.

* * * * *

Nicole Kwan
Female, 8
United States
Everyone has peace and no fighting. Everyone has happiness, has friends.

The United Nations Disarmament Conference in Niigata was held from August 26 to 28, 2009.

The leaders of Kazakhstan were so animated when they talked about taking action for nuclear abolition. During the UN conference on disarmament held in Niigata last month, I was deeply impressed with the pride they showed, which derives from their own history of nuclear abolition.

At a glance, I had no idea where they were from or couldn’t even begin to guess from what country they hailed. It was a bit similar to the feelings shared by Emily in a previous blog article.

At the conference there were many presenters from various countries, including politicians, ambassadors, writers and professors. The presentations covered a wide range of topics. The time allotted for Q&A was always insufficient because discussions became so impassioned.

One reason I was so impressed with the Kazakhstan delegates is that they spoke about their own empirical experiences, which must have been so much easier in the telling than the actual experiences themselves.

I genuinely aspire toward a nuclear-free world, but it’s completely meaningless if I don’t take action. But, I find that keeping the passion alive is oftentimes difficult.

I hope this website will continue to evolve as a powerful resource tool for conveying information and raising awareness about nuclear abolition.

Name: Nobu
Age: 32
Gender: Male