A Visit to the Other Side
Today we took the day off. No class. But I still learned today--we went to the Pearl Harbor memorial. It's one thing to learn about it in a classroom, its another thing to actually be there, to see the ship in the water, still leaking. To remember the men still entombed in the ship. They showed us a video, it was a sobering reminder that our country has seen warfare.
Some of my friends and I got into a discussion of how the Japanese feel--do they have a memorial for the people killed in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? This really gets you into a can of worms--because then you could argue that we were at war, and we were. I do not want to take a stand one way or another.
After we left Pearl Harbor, the people in the car I was riding in wondered if Japanese people come to the Pearl Harbor memorial. There are probably some that do. If they do--I would love to know what they are thinking, to see how this turning point in our world's history affects them today.
There were a couple of Pearl Harbor survivors there at the memorial, people would take pictures with them. Of course they go knowing that people will do that, that people will ask them questions. The tourists would take pictures out above the USS Arizona, smiling, happy. But to me it didn't feel right taking pictures of myself there; I kept thinking about the people lying below us, their lives snuffed out prematurely.
How has the attack on Pearl Harbor affected Hawaii in modern times? When I watched the video today, it reminded me of how blessed we are that we have men and women willing to sacrifice their lives for our freedom. I can't imagine being around that reminder constantly--do the people here just get used to the memorial and not even think about it? That's probably what I would do. Or do they drive by it and remember. So many questions, and I don't really have an answer. I have to think about this before I can claim I have any concrete thoughts about it.
All I can say with surety is that I am grateful for the life I have had. I have so much to be thankful for--safety, family. Friends, and ever so much more.
Oh, and in case you are wondering about the title of the blog tonight, it's because we drove over to the North Shore today to hang out on some of the beaches. We also got really good shave ice. I got pineapple mango flavoring. And we drove. A lot.
Some of my friends and I got into a discussion of how the Japanese feel--do they have a memorial for the people killed in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? This really gets you into a can of worms--because then you could argue that we were at war, and we were. I do not want to take a stand one way or another.
After we left Pearl Harbor, the people in the car I was riding in wondered if Japanese people come to the Pearl Harbor memorial. There are probably some that do. If they do--I would love to know what they are thinking, to see how this turning point in our world's history affects them today.
There were a couple of Pearl Harbor survivors there at the memorial, people would take pictures with them. Of course they go knowing that people will do that, that people will ask them questions. The tourists would take pictures out above the USS Arizona, smiling, happy. But to me it didn't feel right taking pictures of myself there; I kept thinking about the people lying below us, their lives snuffed out prematurely.
How has the attack on Pearl Harbor affected Hawaii in modern times? When I watched the video today, it reminded me of how blessed we are that we have men and women willing to sacrifice their lives for our freedom. I can't imagine being around that reminder constantly--do the people here just get used to the memorial and not even think about it? That's probably what I would do. Or do they drive by it and remember. So many questions, and I don't really have an answer. I have to think about this before I can claim I have any concrete thoughts about it.
All I can say with surety is that I am grateful for the life I have had. I have so much to be thankful for--safety, family. Friends, and ever so much more.
Oh, and in case you are wondering about the title of the blog tonight, it's because we drove over to the North Shore today to hang out on some of the beaches. We also got really good shave ice. I got pineapple mango flavoring. And we drove. A lot.
Comments