The 80th Anniversary of the Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While I wasn’t alive for this event, it had an impact that remains with me today. It was one of the reasons I was involved in the peace movement in my twenties, and a reason why I wrote my book, Buying Time.
I wrote this for the 75th anniversary. It remains relevant today. So, with changes, I am reposting.
My Introduction to the Peace Movement
It was the 1980’s, the Cold War era when the US and Russia were in a race to see who could get the most nuclear weapons and the Doomsday Clock was at 3 minutes to midnight. While Star Wars was at movie theaters, President Reagan spoke of a real Star War, putting missiles in space. Both sides already had enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world several times over.
I remember dreaming that I was talking to one of my nephews, then five or six years old, about some family event that was coming up.
“I don’t know, Aunt Pat. If they drop the bomb, I won’t be able to come.”
I woke up as a mushroom cloud went off in my head. We were living under the shadow of the mushroom cloud.
Thus, I was propelled into the peace movement: a non-violent movement, dedicated to ending violence. Nuclear weapons were the ultimate in violence. I joined with people of faith and, after prayerful discernment, I stepped out in faith because I believed, to the best of my ability, that this was what God wanted me to do. In 1991 when the Cold War ended, the Doomsday Clock was moved back to seventeen minutes to midnight. I felt that I had had a small part in making that happen.
Now it seems we are in greater danger than ever. The Doomsday Clock was set at 89 seconds to midnight in January of 2025. Wars in the Ukraine and Gaza push us perilously closer to confrontations with other nuclear powers. All the more reason for people of faith to join together in prayer and action. Bombings such as those experienced by the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki must never happen again.
Buying Time
My book, Buying Time, is about those cold war years. I first wrote it in 1985, revised it in 2016 and have since revised it again, cleaning up some point of view issues, using what I’ve learned over the past four years of writing. Some of the characters may seem far-fetched, over the top caricatures, but I assure you they are not. The characters and actions are all based on people I knew back then and actions taking by members of the peace movement. It is different from my other books. Some of the characters were acting as modern-day prophets, and as such, could appear strident and unbending in their attitudes.
The book is about a Plowshares Action – where people would symbolically hammer swords into plowshares, or in this case, they took hammers to a B52 bomber. There is a threat to creation in the form of nuclear weapons and these individuals took action against this threat. Imagery from the Book of Revelations is used. What is more apocalyptic than the threat of mass destruction by nuclear weapons?
I hope the actions of these people will inspire and challenge you.
What are your memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? I would love to hear them.
August Book Discounts
It has been 80 years since the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending World War II. I recognize that many say that had we not dropped these bombs, as many, if not more lives would have been lost in a prolonged war effort. I’m not trying to make judgment on these past actions, but rather to remind us, never again. There would be no survivors of a nuclear war.
In memory of this event, I’m discounting Buying Time to $1.99 from August 3-14 through select ebook distributors. I have also discounted the paperback book from $14.95 to $11.95 through Amazon. To purchase your copy, just click on link to book.
Our country continues to struggle with immigrants at our southern borders, fleeing the violence in their countries and seeking a new life in the US. Honduras is one such country, torn apart by years of civil unrest and violence.
Joan, a young nun, served in Honduras during the 1970’s. She witnessed corruption and violence including the murder of two priests and twelve campesinos. She also fell in love with the people. When health problems forced her to go home she vowed to return only to be blocked from entry by the Honduran government. Thirty years later she returns.
Learn about the poverty and corruption that is driving people from Central America from their homes through reading Land of Deep Waters. On sale through Amazon for 99 cents from August 4-11. The paperback version has also been discounted from $14.95 to $11.95 through August 11, Click here to purchase.
Would you like to read more? Sign up to follow this blog and receive a free copy of Still Dancing, the second book in my Dancing through Life Series. click here to sign up
(Please note – in order to help ensure you receive email with link to new book, please add my email, patricia@patriciamrobertson.com to your contact list. Some servers are quick to send newsletters to spam or other boxes.)
Leave a Reply