REFLECTIONS
THE NEW HIROSHIMA?
AUTHOR Teresita Bacani-Oropilla, MD
O
nce upon a time, not too long ago,
the peoples of this world were
divided by philosophies and am-
bitions to acquire power. Leaders
of nations used different means to
advance their causes.
One leader decided to annihi-
late a group of people who did not meet with
his specifications of perfection. Others exiled or incarcerated their
objectors, or outright killed them. Much pain, suffering and death
prevailed.
Countries then aligned into two camps with the purpose of de-
feating or defending one from the other. People on both sides lost
their fathers, beloved sons and daughters, their livelihoods, their
heritage: more pain, suffering and death!
Finally, a nuclear blast never before heard, leveled Hiroshima,
Japan on August 6, 1945. The land was laid to waste. Disfigured
survivors roamed the ruins. According to Wikipedia, 90,000 to
160,000 died then and as an aftermath.
The camps that were so keen on annihilating each other, piece
by piece, person by person, beheld the devastation rendered. Was
there need for more war and carnage? Not until after August 9,
when Nagasaki suffered the same grisly fate, did Emperor Hirohi-
to decide to spare his subjects and surrender.
PAUSE!!
Peace talks prevailed. People went back to their respective
homes to ponder, mourn their losses, look for lost relatives and
reconstruct the shreds of their former lives. Such catastrophes do
finally die down. Would that we, intelligent beings, learn from our
mistakes…sigh.
In the year 2020, our world again seems to be in a state of un-
rest. Once more, people insist on their views, threaten each other
verbally or through the much-improved global communication
networks. Civility is waning, violent protests and shootings kill
innocent children and peaceful citizens. Authority seem to be in-
timidated or losing control. Dissidents even mock peacekeepers
without consequences.
Countries flex their muscles and threaten each other with
avowed military and nuclear capabilities if their demands are not
met.
Despite grumblings however, people seemed to be living com-
placently the way they deemed their right to, until a new threat
came along: and it has!
In less than two months, the placid life has indeed changed
in our interconnected world. COVID-19 has descended upon us!
Television maps show COVID-19 spreading worldwide by color-
ing affected countries red! Arrows show where the threat is headed
and graphs quickly list the number of deaths, each day more and
more and more. Similar to the plague of the firstborn in ancient
times, we fear it is headed our way – we pray that it does not stay.
PAUSE!!
What to do WORLD? Do we need to pause and reorder our
priorities? Is COVID-19 our new Hiroshima? Have we yet learned
that further discord is for naught, that we are now defending our-
selves and others as one, else we all perish together?
After all, Hiroshima, despite its deepest scars and memories,
has risen from tragedy to normalcy within living memory.
Hope, the expectation of good to happen – that is our fervent
wish.
Dr. Bacani-Oropilla is a retired psychiatrist.
MAY 2020
27