Floating Lantern Festival

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Art Journal August 5, 2015

 Beyond the edges of your imagination, lives limitless possibility.

Today is the 70th  anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. 

This evening at Olympic Plaza, we will gather at the Floating Lantern Festival to remember this tragic day in 1945 when the ‘black rain’ fell. We will remember and we will pledge to fight harder, speak louder and work togethr to bring about the abolishment of nuclear weapons from our world.

We can do this. Even though we may believe, it’s not possible. We can do this because, beyond the edges of what we know, is the possibility of another way, another path.

Even if we think, nuclear weapons are a deterrent to war or that we need nuclear weapons to establish world peace, there is another path.

We can exist without them. We can create peace without the threat of destroying life on earth.

And yes, it sounds simplistic to say the answer is to ‘love one another’.

But isn’t it simplistic to believe, if you have an A-bomb I will keep the peace? Your A-bomb instills fear and fear begets fear. In fear, I am continually looking for ways to anihilate my fear, which means, I will want an A-bomb to stop you using yours. Once I have one, my fear won’t go away because I know you still have yours — and I might not trust you not to use it. In my fear and distrust, I might just pull the trigger too quickly because something you said or did, made me even more afraid of you. To make sure you don’t use your bomb, I might use mine. And there goes the peace we thought we had in our threats to destroy one another.

If you are in Calgary, please join us at Olympic Plaza beginning at 5pm this evening to learn more about what you can do to create peace in our world. 

The evening program will begin at 8pm – I have been honoured with being invited to be the Emcee – and I am excited and grateful for this opportunity to play a role in making peace possible in our world.

Imagine if we all stood up for peace? Imagine if we all took a stand against nuclear weapons? Imagine if we let go of believing it’s not possible to live in a world where the threat of nuclear weapons destroys peace of mind every day.

Imagine if we never had to fear what happened at Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945 and Nagasaki, three days later. 

Imagine if…

Let’s make it so. Let’s go beyond the edges of our imagination and discover what is possible when we believe there is another way, another path to making peace.

Peace is possible. We just have to believe in what exists beyond the edges of what we know today. 

To read The Mayor of Hiroshima’s powerful Peace Declaration, please click HERE.

13 thoughts on “Floating Lantern Festival”

  2. I spent a day in the Peace Park in Zhiroshima one day. It was during Sakura or the season of cherry blossoms. An amaIngly beautiful scene which we enjoyed sitting on a blanket with some (off duty) taxi drivers who invited us to share their saki. Our conversation was simple and broken but the true purpose was pure – connection and brotherly love. The paradox was the ominous sound of the peace gong which was a 3 metre bronze cymbal that was ring by visitors who lined up to ring it. The deep resonant sound was a constant backdrop to our conversation and brought to mind the sound of a death knell, bringing a lost soul to mind each time it sounded.

    A powerful memory I will hold forever.

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    • Wow Ian — thank you for sharing that story and memory. It does sound powerful. A young woman from Hiroshima shared her story of growing up in the city, and visiting the museum. Incredibly moving.

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  3. Thank you Louise your words hit my heart hard this morning. Peace is possible. It’s so easy to be complacent and go about our days with no mind to the ABomb. But it is there nevertheless and provides a serious threat to life on earth. It’s nb to take time out to remember, to hope and to commit to peace in our own hearts and lives. That is the only place we can be assured we can make a real difference

    Thank you for agreeing to mc this event. I can’t think of anyone more perfect for the task! I love you so much ❤️

    Yours in Service, Judy Atkinson Circlesofrhythm.com Office: 402-253-2023 Cell: 403-862-5654

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    • Thank you Judy. Your drumming last night as the lanterns drifted across the reflecting pond was amazing and moving. So beautiful. Just like you and your loving heart. Peace be with you my friend. Much love.

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  5. sadly, it’s the big anniversaries that draw such attention

    the 70th anniversary – already the media are paying more attention than to the 68th or 69th. Next year, it will only be 71st. So, on the 75th, 80th, 90th and 100th … we’ll expect big fanfare again.

    the cause of ‘eliminate nuclear weapons’ is noble but so impractical (ie: U.S. Pres. Obama is pushing a deal to delay Iran’s capabilities by 15 yrs while everyone speculates whether they will abate at all, or if they will give up their ambition)

    world peace

    curing hunger

    eliminating homelessness

    impossible to achieve – no society ever has – and certainly far beyond what any person or group could do in their own lifetime

    but if feed some people, house some people and solve some conflicts things MIGHT get better

    it strikes me a bit like Bill Gates et al trying to cure Malaria and other diseases which kill millions every year, especially children – a noble cause indeed, but in countries lacking food, education and housing for their impoverished masses, methinks they are tackling the overall problem from the wrong end – because education cures poverty, education cures housing problems and education reduces birth rates and education helps people help themselves – and otherwise, horrible truths simply repeat

    and how can we get the world to disarm?

    everyone is focused on climate change this week/year/election cycle …

    oh yeah, we’re focused on oil price and our dollar

    and we are sweating the loss of manufacturing jobs, and oil patch jobs and …. well … jobs

    I don’t have a ‘solution’ but it seems to me that writing letters, having gatherings/protests are not a solution – but rather are evidence that those methods aren’t working ..

    that we haven’t had another A-bomb exploded is a freakin’ miracle – but we’ve had Three Mile Island and Chernobyl … and the arms race/struggle and nuclear for peace and war continues …

    Mark

    p.s. then again, there are those 100 people short-listed for the trip to Mars … a place without nuclear weapons – that would be out of this world. Oh, yeah, it is …

    Liked by 1 person

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    • This event happens every year Mark — so yes, the big anniversaries, but the yearly ones too.

      Mars huh? Definitely out of this world, and a tad far to go to find peace. I think we should keep searching and building it here on earth. 🙂 Have a great weekend my friend.

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